


Wicked Game

by LiviJoyann



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drug Use, Family, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Gets A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves-centric, M/M, Post-Canon, Romance, Season 2, Time Travel, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26763055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiviJoyann/pseuds/LiviJoyann
Summary: Post Season 2: When Klaus runs into Dave in an unexpected way, he is distraught to find that it isn't the reunion he had hoped for. Klaus's resilience and love for Dave is pushed to its limits as he tries to hold onto the hope of getting HIS Dave back.
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & Everyone, Klaus Hargreeves/David "Dave" Katz, Number Five | The Boy & Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 147
Kudos: 165





	1. Motel Blues

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you following "Playing On, Insane", I'm not giving up on it! I just need to get some post-season-2 stuff out of my system. Sorry for the wait- had to process the new season!

The world moved on. Moved on from what, they had no idea. Only six specific siblings had any clue of the ruinous destruction that the entirety of the planet Earth narrowly escaped. No biggie, right?

But in the silence and the stillness of the world moving on, Klaus felt his own fall apart.

Ben was gone… again.

Dave was gone… again.

For the first time in… well… maybe forever, Klaus was utterly and totally alone.

“Move over, dipshit.”

Maybe not, _totally_ alone in the literal sense. Five dropped onto the couch next to Klaus, nudging him over to give the tiny assassin more room. How much room did a five foot five lil’ tyke need? Jesus, his siblings had been driving him up the wall lately- and vice versa, of course.

“Alright. So. Herb doesn’t know who’s behind all the… hostility.” Five announced with a steaming cup of joe coddled closely between his hands. He sipped it like it was the nectar keeping his life force alight. Klaus pressed his thumbs to the bridge of his nose trying to expel a raging headache coming on. Those were happening more often too. Without Ben to concentrate his thoughts and powers on, the other spirits liked to play with his brain until it was mush.

…Or even more mushy than usual. The drugs did a good job with that too.

“Uh… Okay, but didn’t you say that it had Commission tactics written all over it?” Allison head-swiveled with her remark, meaning she was getting frustrated. They all were.

It wasn’t fun coming home to find out that their home was no longer, and never was, their home. It wasn’t fun learning that everything you ever knew about your past was now null and void. It wasn’t fun that Dad was still alive. It wasn’t fun that the Sparrow Academy were a bunch of dicks. It wasn’t fun that their previously dead brother’s face was now attached to a whole different personality- who was also a dick.

It wasn’t fun being all forced into one motel because Five deemed it too dangerous to split the family up right now. It wasn’t fun feeling targeted and hunted by a secretive force that had one mission and one mission only- destroy anyone with powers.

“When we tangled at the ring, they fought just like all those assholes.” Diego muttered from where he sat on the edge of the ratty motel bed, fingering the tip of one of his knives. Diego was the first to have a run-in with a few of “them”. The “anti-supers” they had all started calling them. Diego had gone to see if anyone still knew who he was over there when he was almost shot down to pieces. Since then, they had a few other run-ins.

Luther knocked over the head while leaving the car rental place. _Thank the Lawd for his thick skull._ Klaus joked to himself, giggling lightly and earning a weird side-look from Five.

The plane that Allison tried to take to California- sabotaged and grounded before it could end in flames.

The others hadn’t had any direct attempts at assassinations, but they did feel eyes on them everywhere. There was more hostility in the media too- articles coming out questioning the safety of having people with superhuman powers running around unchecked. It wasn’t so much about the Umbrella Academy (who, as stated, did not exist anymore), but the Sparrows. In this timeline, the Sparrows never broke apart. They still served as this slightly controversial crime-fighting supergroup, but people weren’t always buying into it.

“Well if you all would be _kind_ enough to let me finish,” Five spat. “He knows the seeds were planted within the Commission before the new administration took over. The Commission was thrown into chaos and new political groups sprouted and-“

“Fast forward?” Klaus whined, his fingers massaging his temples.

“ _Ooookayyyyy._ A shadier, underground group started. Very exclusive. Very concealed. All anyone knows is that they’ve been looking into us. Well, not just us. Us, the Sparrows, and… more.”

“More?”

“What do you mean, more?”

“Great. More.”

“How many more?”

The room all chimed in at once.

“I guess- _I GUESS,”_ Five yelled over all the hullabaloo. The room quieted. “, that there’s a record on all of us. Meaning all of us with powers.”

“And-“

“43. There are 43 of us. Well, minus anyone who’s bit the dust so far.”

The room went pin-drop silent. Klaus even forgot about his pounding headache for a split second as he turned his eyes up to watch the expressions of his siblings around the room. Klaus absentmindedly pawed at the dog tags under his shirt, the comfortingly familiar, cool metal pressing into his palm.

“So why the fuck are they attacking _us_ then?” Diego asked, throwing up his hands and breaking the silence of pure shock.

“Because _we’re_ the ones meddling with time and causing/preventing apocalypses left and right. I can’t say we’ve made it particularly hard for them _not_ to blame us for all the chaos and havoc.” Five talked down to Diego like he was scolding a stupid child. Diego’s lip raised in disgust at Five and he shot an equally nasty look back.

Ah, siblings. Crazy going from not seeing them all for the larger part of 17 years and now look at them- living in rooms all next door to each other in some dinky motel ten miles away from their (no longer “their”) childhood home.

“And we don’t know that they’re not pursuing the others… although, we’ve made ourselves easy to find. The others are… more ambiguous.”

“What- They’re hiding out?” Luther never minded raising questions that everyone was thinking but was too scared to ask due to the wrath of Five and his lack of patience for “utmost stupidity”.

“That, or they might not even know they _have_ powers.”

More exchanged looks.

“Dayumn. We’ve seen more drama in the past few days than the Kardashians in 19 full seasons.” Klaus muttered, shaking his knee and feeling the desire for a couple hits of the bong. He’s been trying to wane himself off of the alcohol the last few days since they arrived back in 2019. He hit his weed dealer up to soften the blow.

“So these people work for the commission. They have access to everything. But the commission doesn’t know who they are or how to weed them out?”

“… correct.” Five hesitantly answered Vanya’s inquiries.

The room erupted into complaints and more questions until it was impossible to distinguish one voice from another. Klaus wasn’t one of those voices this time. He instead sunk into the couch further, pulling his knees to his chest.

_BANG._

The entirety of the shabby, retro-style hotel shoot from the ground up. Klaus instinctively darted a hand to the side and closed it around Five’s forearm, his knuckles white with the intensity of his grasp. Five didn’t seem to mind, or at least was too distracted, and jumped up to his feet, forcing Klaus to follow.

“What in God’s Green fucking-“

That’s when it went from just an ear-splitting _BANG_ to a body-flinging _BAM_. Before Klaus could even pout about not getting a single second without wildly dangerous super-conflict, he felt a force the magnitude of Vanya’s outbursts knock him to the side. Just a split second before, he felt Luther’s arm brace his back. He didn’t realize it then, but that might have been the only thing that saved Klaus from being utterly destroyed in that second.

_BOOM. BOOM. BOOM._

With Luther shielding him (and Five on the other side), they crashed through wall after wall with no signs of the momentum ceasing. Klaus literally saw blinks of his sibling’s separate motel rooms as they crashed through with immense force.

Allison’s glamorized (or as glamorized as you could make these shit-holes) with a new, plush duvet and pillows, Five’s showered with equations and books, Klaus’s with a few bongs and posters he was able to scourge up, and finally Vanya’s that was hardly touched save for the thrifted violin she had set lovingly in the corner.

Klaus felt the impact of Luther’s back against the final wall that didn’t give way and flinched _for_ his brother.

_Ooh… that had to hurt._

Klaus made a mental note to be extra nice to Luther after the multiple times he’s protected his junky ass as of late. When the three of them slid to the ground in an exhausted heap, Luther unwinded his arms.

“Uuuuurgh.” Klaus was the first to moan, rolling onto his side and curling up against the new pain in his spine and shoulders.

“What the hell _was_ that?” Luther sputtered drywall from his mouth, puffing a cloud of dust into the air.

“Who do you think?” Five coughed, his back hunching like the hunchback of Notre Dame as he shakily stood. “Thanks.” He added with a change of tone when he gave a curt nod to Luther.

“Yeah, real MVP, Luth.” Klaus groaned while pushing himself up, giving Luther’s knee a few grateful pats.

“ _LUTHER._ ” Allison’s scream projected through the giant Luther-sized holes blasted through multiple walls and rooms until it reached their ringing ears.

“Shit.” Luther muttered, already halfway into Klaus’s room before they could even respond. If Allison comes calling, you can be damn sure Luther will answer.

“Klaus-“

“Yep.” Klaus answered a little too casually for the situation.

“Take the fire escape down and start up the car. We’ve been compromised.”

“What about the others?”

“I got it. Just… stay safe, okay? That’s your one and only job.”

Klaus _would_ feel offended that Five didn’t trust him to do anything more than that, but he also felt a wave of relief. At least Five had realistic expectations.

“Go.”

And so, Klaus was off.

His limbs felt like jelly after the physical exertion of being blasted to Kingdom Come and he could still hear his heart pounding between his ears. Klaus darted out the back door of Vanya’s room and was met with the rickety, rusted metal of the old fire escape that zig-zagged down to the alleyway below.

“Only got four minutes to save the world…” Klaus mutter-sang under his breath. People didn’t often realize that he didn’t just lighten the mood with his quips and musings while others were around. It was just kind of a non-stop way of coping that kept his heart rate from exceeding livable rates.

_Step._

_Bang!_

Klaus felt his foot meet solid metal for half a second before it gave out and his heart plummeted into his stomach.

“AAAAH!” He shrieked, feeling the world rush up at him. By some miracle (he’d like to attribute it to his reflexes but knew luck was probably more responsible), his hand closed around the railing that was still nailed into the motel’s exterior. Klaus’s body was yanked back into place as his arm flexed to hold himself dangling in the air.

“Goddamn cheap-ass, garbage sale motel.” Klaus sputtered, groaning at the increasing pain in his shoulder. He whimpered as he took a deep breath and pulled himself up. Thank God he was still doing yoga and running from people he’s angered on a daily basis. Otherwise, his arms would be putty.

When Klaus managed to roll himself back onto Vanya’s carpet, he half-wanted to just curl up and die there if he was being honest. He kind of _always_ felt like that, but Ben always kept him going.

Ben was gone though now. Klaus was alone.

“DUCK!” He heard Diego yell from a few rooms down as a shower of gunshots filled the air. Klaus moaned and pushed himself to his feet again.

He wasn’t alone. He still had people counting on him. His _family_ was counting on him, and even though that might not have had much pull with him before, they were all getting close again and he’d do anything for any single one of them.

Just don’t tell them that.

He had half a mind to run after his siblings but instantly reminded himself that he wouldn’t be much help against a firefight (unless he had an AK47 or M16 in his hands), so Klaus beelined for the hallway and burst through the door of the indoor stairwell instead.

“One foot in front of the other.” Klaus whisper sang another song as he flew down the stairs, flinging himself with his grip on the railing and spinning down floor after floor.

5…

4…

3…

_BOOM,_ from below.

“Go, go, go!”

Klaus heard a gruff voice order followed by thunderous footsteps ascending the stairs up towards where he fumbled.

“Shiiiiiiiit.” He whined, shoving his shoulder into the door labeled FLOOR 3, stumbling into the hallway…

…and right into the chest of a man dressed in black operative wear similar to Diego’s favorite get-up.

“Oh… Helllloooo.” Klaus purred nervously. The man let out a stiff snort and raised the butt of his gun above his head. Luckily Klaus _did_ have training for situations like this- both from his childhood as a forced superhero child and from his time in Vietnam. Without thinking twice, Klaus caught the man’s wrist, twisted, and disarmed him.

“Shame you’re trying to kill me and my family,” Klaus grunted as he shoved his elbow into the guy’s face, sending him to his knees. “Kinda cute.”

He took off down the newly empty hallway to the sound of the door behind him crashing open.

“STOP!”

And Klaus did. Not because he wanted to or because he thought he could get to the door in time, but because there was something so painfully familiar…

“HANDS UP.”

Hands up.

Klaus’s muscles tensed painfully and his chest began to constrain against his lungs before he even connected the dots. It was silent for a second but Klaus would later _swear_ it was at least 2 minutes. And then,

“You…” The voice muttered softly from behind him, the click-clack of a gun being cocked following the statement. Now _that_ voice was unmistakable. If he didn’t recognize the harsher commands, then he sure as hell recognized the soft, emotionally charged near-whisper.

Klaus slowly turned, his arms lowering in pure shock. His body was on autopilot, his mind running in circles wanting to prove his suspicions wrong but knowing better. The figure at the end of the hall was like the guy before, dressed in all black with a large gun raised up at the ready.

His hair was blond.

His shoulders were broad.

His skin was light and olive-y toned under the fluorescent lights.

His biceps flexed in anticipation.

And his eyes…

His.

Eyes.

Were.

Blue.

So blue that Klaus could see them from 9 doors down.

His breath caught and his heart pounded. Klaus felt his mouth move, unauthorized.

“Dave…” He whispered.

Within a matter of 3 seconds, Klaus watched as Dave’s ( _his_ Dave… as in mid-20s Dave) stance went from soft with shock to firm and dangerous. Even in his face, Klaus could see his features contort into harsher angles.

And his eyes… they were so full of ice and stone. So full of hate.

_BANG._

Klaus gasped as he felt the bullet rip through his shoulder. He let out a desperate whimper and felt his knees collapse beneath him, failing the rest of his body until it piled onto the floor in a curled-up heap. Warmth, wetness, deep crimson spread all over Klaus’s shoulder and chest as he felt the blood flow freely.

The last thing he heard was the sound of Five flashing into the hallway and tackling Dave from behind. Klaus wanted so badly to shout out,

“ _DON’T HURT HIM.”_

, but he was slipping fast. Before he even had the chance to fathom what had just transpired, Klaus was out.


	2. Family Matter?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and his siblings deal with the shock that has transpired. No one can agree on how to handle the anti-supers.

He was just barely conscious when they not-so-carefully dragged his limp body into the rental station wagon that the whole family shared for the time being. His shoulder was on fire and he could taste iron in the back of his throat. He felt a sickeningly familiar stabbing pain that brought him right back to being shot in Vietnam.

And yet, Klaus couldn’t even think about it. All he could see were those eyes… the eyes he used to watch slowly drift close every night in the deep violet haze of moonlight through canvas tents. Those were the eyes that would scan over Klaus’s body like they were committing every single feature to memory.

And he shot him.

Dave shot him.

“Mmmmmmm…” Klaus didn’t even realize that it was _him_ moaning in pain until Five addressed him from the front seat.

“Get ahold of yourself, Klaus. Give me ten minutes… tops.” He muttered the last part, his frantic voice drowned out by the clicks and clacks of the seat being adjusted and the car shifted in gear.

“Hurts…” Klaus groaned, feeling his face flushed and draining. He was too dizzy to even distinguish what was up and down but he _did_ know that he did _not_ like these bumps Five was hitting.

“Shh…” He heard Allison’s voice softly above him. He felt fingertips brush hair from his face as she pressed her palm to his forehead.

“He’s getting really pale, guys.”

“Can you tell if the left subclavian artery-“

“I don’t know, Five! It’s just a _lot_ of blood. That’s all I know.” Allison cracked back, her gentle resolve breaking a bit. Klaus whimpered at the increased pain when Allison held some kind of cloth to his wound.

“Dave.” Klaus felt himself sinking into the darkness, but he had to know. The last thing he saw in the motel was Five tackling Dave to the ground, and if there’s one thing that Klaus knew about people who tangled with Five, they were lucky if they still had their insides INSIDE their bodies afterward.

“Klaus, stop. Stay still.” Four heard Diego scold. He felt Diego’s hand pat his leg from where he sat with them in his lap.

“Dave,”

He forced his eyes open and was met with blinding light.

“Ow. Fuuuck.”

“Shh.” Allison just kept repeating. “Shhhh.”

Klaus missed everything that happened next but his siblings filled him in later. Apparently, Five drove them straight to the Academy where they were met with some resistance from the Sparrows. Ever since the Umbrellas and Sparrows got into a bit of a skirmish after their first meet, they haven’t been welcome back exactly. However, after the situation was explained, it became clear that now wasn’t the time for all the super-peeps to be divided.

The Sparrows welcomed them inside for shelter and unified defenses and Klaus woke up in his childhood infirmary- only, the decorum of the room was accented with sparrow details instead of small, carved umbrella embellishments.

Klaus didn’t want to say he was jealous per se. He didn’t want to say that he was upset that his ugly, life-scarringly horrid childhood was erased from planet Earth. He didn’t want to say he cared about the sentimentality of the house or his bedroom or the courtyard where he and his siblings used to play before death separated him from everything and everyone he loved…

Okay, maybe Klaus was a little upset about these Sparrows taking over his stomping grounds like vermin. He could tell all of his siblings were. They wouldn’t admit it, but it showed in their distaste for their other super-counterparts.

Mom came in shortly after he awoke to the sound of people arguing outside in the foyer. He could hear Luther and Diego in a shouting match with fraud-Ben and immediately tuned out. He didn’t care about any of this right now. He only cared about one thing. One person.

“The blood transfusion put you right back on track. Keep resting, keep hydrating, and keep eating. You’ll be on your feet in no time.” Mom said, helping Klaus sit up so she could redress his shoulder bandages. It may sound odd to outliers, but even though Mom was a robot, Klaus always felt instantly safer when she was around- more looked after.

Of course, that was how Reggie programmed her to be, but when you grow up like Klaus and his siblings did, you tend to search for any sliver of comfort you can find.

“Minor artery knicked. Could’ve gotten you. Pretty lucky, Klaus.”

She finished wrapping him up and eased him back down onto his pillow.

“Mm… Very lucky, that’s me.” He muttered. “Thanks, Mom.”

Grace shot him a weird look that reminded Klaus that this wasn’t his Mom. Not in this timeline.

It was a nice little kick while he was already down.

“Or… I mean…” He tried stumbling over his words to cover it up. Grace smiled sweetly and walked out of the room. “Okay.” Klaus gave up, taking a shaky breath and wincing at the burning pain that flared up in his shoulder. “Wait- Do you have anything stronger-“

“Enough of that. I shouldn’t have even let her drug you up this much.”

“She didn’t do a great job.” Klaus pouted as Allison brushed in right past Grace and to his bedside. She placed a tentative hand on his forehead and looked at his mummy-wrapped shoulder.

She was such a Mom nowadays.

“Thanks for taking care of me.” Klaus gave a sad smile to Allie who shot one right back.

“Who am I going to day drink with if you’re gone?”

“I have a sneaking suspicion that Five might actually be a worthy replacement. I really want to catch him after knocking back a few ritas.”

“According to Diego and Luther, he’s not that fun.”

Allison and Klaus both relaxed in the quiet moment that passed between them for a moment, the muffled sounds of arguments still wafting through the hallways outside.

“So um… Listen. Five didn’t happen to go all ‘Rambo” on Dave, did he?” Klaus asked in a high, hopeful voice, crossing his hands patiently in his lap to counter the raging fear coursing through his insides.

Allison frowned.

“Dave? What… like… your Dave- Dave?”

Ever since that day that they “dartied” together, Allison knew more about Klaus than any of the other siblings did (save for Ben if you count his original, better self). She knew about Vietnam. She knew how he died. She knew how Klaus gave up drugs and the devil's liquid in hopes to see him again.

She did not know that it was Dave that shot him though. Klaus was putting that together quickly, and why would she? Sometimes he had to remind himself that his siblings knew virtually nothing about his whole Vietnam escapade.

“Yeah… You know…” Klaus buoyantly tossed his head from side to side in an attempt to distract from his discomfort. “The guy who… shot me.”

“ _What?_ ”

“Yeah, so… He’s still alive, right? Because that’d be a bummer.”

“How d-“

“Can we not talk about that right now.” Five said, entering the room with his usual angry stride. Clearly, he wasn't pleased by the mention of Dave.

“What? Why? Is he-“

“Five’s still all pissed that a commission drone bested him.” Diego chided with a smug smirk on his face, following in the smaller brother’s footsteps. Klaus felt himself relax back into the pillow. Thank God. He could put up with being shot by the love of his life if it at least meant that he was still alive.

Oh my God.

_Oh my God._

Dave was alive. Dave was older-Dave and still living, breathing. Had he gone to Vietnam? He _clearly_ hadn’t met Klaus… right? In his eyes, it seemed like he knew him, but not at all in the way that Klaus knew him. There was no love there.

The thought and memory still hurt his chest to think about.

Klaus was quite fine with just Allison, Five, and Diego drifting into the room for some company, but he did not particularly like when every other single super-siblings followed suit until he was surrounded by a chorus of angry, yammering buffoons. They were all arguing over each other about how to handle this new “terrorist” threat they were facing.

That’s how the antisupers were being referred to now.

That’s how Dave was referred to now.

A terrorist. A threat to their livelihood and everyone like them. Everyone like Klaus.

“Okay, what did you mean by Dave?” Allison redirected her attention back to Klaus, yelling over the commotion. Klaus could hear pseudo-Ben calling Diego a self-righteous fool. Vanya was trying to talk down the tallest of Sparrows (Klaus didn’t take the time to remember the assholes’ names) which was quite humorous to watch with their size difference.

“What? Klaus... Did you know the guy who shot you?” Five started catching on when he overheard Allison’s questions. Klaus went to open his mouth but once he realized the room went quiet after Five’s inquiry, he shut it again. All eyes were now boring down on him and suddenly, Number Four felt tiny in his simple white hospital bed in the sea of judgmental gazes.

Okay, this wasn’t how he thought he would make the big reveal about his time in Vietnam with the love of his life- admitting that he _shot_ him.

“ _What_?” Klaus threw his hands up at everyone.

“Something you need to disclose with us?” Psuedo-Ben crossed his arms like a downright prick.

(If you couldn’t already tell, Klaus wasn’t a fan of this imposter Ben thing)

Klaus narrowed his eyes at the face that he spent 17 years side-by-side with. He felt his jaw clench and a new kind of hate take over him.

“It’s a family matter.” Klaus’s voice stabbed. He swore the air turned frigid after that. The room was still save for the eyes that darted around the room, searching for reactions. Eventually, most of the Sparrows turned and found their gazes resting on Diego and Klaus had to fight the urge not to laugh.

The thing about the Sparrows is that they were the version of the Umbrella Academy if shit _didn’t_ go wrong and they all stuck around under Reggie’s rule. They were obedient, they were critical, they meant business (with NO side of party), they were harsh, and they were all assholes.

So they really responded to Diego’s wrath and his forced attempts at assuming authority. They often looked to him as the Umbrella Academy’s representative, and Luther _hated_ it. You could see it all over his face even now. Diego _loved_ it. You could also see that on his face. Klaus just found it hilarious.

“You heard him. Family matter.” Diego backed Klaus up (which he'd admit, felt good). If there was anytime that the Umbrella Academy could band together, it was against these Sparrow charlatans.

The whole room was a fucking Mexican standoff.

Finally, pseudo-Ben made the first move and left, one last dirty look at Klaus before disappearing back into the hallway. The rest of the Sparrow gaggle followed quietly. When the door clicked shut, the rest of them relaxed.

“Okay… So, Dave.” Allison said, putting a hand on his arm for comfort. Klaus swallowed thickly and looked down at his hands fidgeting with his dog tags. The siblings muttered quietly around him before Luther stepped forward.

“Klaus… who’s Dave?”

* * *

Recovering in his family’s home that he was now a stranger in was less than ideal, but Klaus did appreciate some of the familiar surroundings at a time like this. He didn’t know how to handle what had happened. He didn’t know what to do with the new information regarding Dave’s alive-ness. He didn’t know how to feel about being shot down by him. He didn’t know how to move on from here.

To be fair, his siblings also didn’t know. After he unloaded four years of Dave-baggage on them, all the disastrous encounters in 1963 included, they were sympathetic and listened but didn’t say much. Because what _do_ you say in that situation? The only one who showed any kind of reaction other than stupor was Five who wasn’t at all happy that Klaus had messed with Dave’s timeline.

About a day later, Klaus was leaning on Diego as they trudged slowly down the hallway towards the courtyard. He had his good arm wrapped around his brother’s shoulders, a good percentage of his weight settled on Diego. Klaus was doing a lot better but he was probably slowing his own recovery process by not eating or drinking much. He just… wasn’t interested. Anyway, it was making his vertigo worse.

“I just- Why didn’t you tell me, bro? That’s a lot to carry around alone.” Diego was saying, his voice half-echoing off the hallways of the Academy’s foyer.

“I _kinda_ did. In that VFW. Heh. Hey Diego, remember that?”

“Yeah, I remember when you started a fight with a bunch of ‘Nam veterans, Klaus.” Diego deadpanned. “But you failed to mention that you lost him in the goddamn Vietnam _war,_ dude.”

“Details, details.” Klaus waved the notion away with a floozy gesture.

“Well… sorry. I, uh- I don’t really know what to say.”

“What do you mean? There’s not a ‘Sorry that your soulmate shot you’ Hallmark card?”

Diego snorted and gave Klaus a gentle squeeze.

“Ow.”

They sat in the courtyard for a bit. They shit-talked new-Ben and a few of the other newbies. Then, Klaus sent him away.

“I’m just gonna stay for a little while.”

“Are- Are you sure? You shouldn’t be up and about alone until tomorrow. Mom said-“

“Mom’s not our Mom anymore.” Klaus subconsciously answered immediately, forgetting about Diego’s soft spot for Grace. “I mean- I know, I just- Come pick me up in twenty minutes?”

Diego patted him on the back.

“Alright. Don’t move. I’ll be back.”

As soon as Diego was gone, Klaus moved. He stood and made his way across the yard towards the South Hallway, pushing through the door and ascending the stairway… slooooowly. His head spun with every step, but his hand gripped the railing with as much strength as he could muster.

Five was flashing around the library, grabbing books off of high shelves by teleporting midair for a split second, grabbing what he needed, and then flashing safely to the ground before he could plummet. Klaus gripped the doorframe and watched him do his thing before awkwardly clearing his throat.

“Klaus.” Five noted, surprised in his voice. He frowned across the room at Four, his eyes dark under furrowed brows. “Thought you were still in recovery.”

Klaus scrunched up his face and flicked his wrist in the air.

“Nahhhh… Hey, listen…”

Five set down his armful of books and newspapers and did just that. Klaus was actually taken aback a bit. Five usually didn’t give him the time of day.

“Would the commission have, like, a _file_ on Dave or-“

“They have files on everybody.”

“Mm. Yeah. So it would… say what happened to him. After I, uh, messed with his timeline and whatnot.”

To be honest, Klaus was having a hard time grasping this whole time travel and timeline-changing business. The moment he thought he had a handle on it, Five would scoff at something he said and correct him with a whole string of theories that had Klaus tuned out by the second word.

“Yeahhhhh… Klaus, where are you going with this? I can’t just ask the commission for classified personnel files. They’re not going to just hand them over. Especially with all the political unrest and distrust over there right now.”

“Yeah, see… _I_ was thinking, that _because_ of all that hullabaloo and chaos, it would be the perfect time to do a lil’ creepy crawly.” Klaus wiggled his fingers out in front of him to accentuate the creepy crawly-ness.

Five stared at him, unreadable.

Then,

“I’m sorry. It’s too dangerous with the antisupers infiltrating the whole network. I mean, if they found out you were looking into this ‘Dave’, you could compromise him too. It’s just… No, Klaus. Sorry.”

“But-“

“No.”

“Fiiiiive.” Klaus pouted. “This is my fault! He’s out there all misinformed and manipulated into being a commission-ite, I mean… what’s that all about? How did that even happen?”

“Crazy shit happens when you fuck up time, Klaus. Thought I made that blatantly clear.”

“Are you saying no because you’re _punishing_ me?”

“No! For God’s sake…”

“God has nothing to do with it.”

“Klaus-“

“I just need to know what happened. Then I can help him.”

“No.”

“Please, please, please, please-“

“You’re really-“

“Pleeeeeeeeeeeease.”

With a sudden blue flash, Five stood but an inch from Klaus’s face, standing on one of the library stools so that he was level with the taller brother.

“Listen closely. The commission is _not_ to be meddled with. This antisuper terrorist group? Even more so. If you’re upset that your boyfriend is suddenly a misdirected murderer,”

“Hey,” Klaus frowned at the jab.

“, then maybe you’ll think twice about trying to play God.”

“I was trying to _save_ someone I _love_. Hm… Who does that sound like? Kinda like…”

“Don’t.”

“A miniature assassin in knee socks creating havoc in the timeline to save his family.”

“You’re welcome, by the way.” Five muttered, but he didn’t say anything more. Klaus knew it was because he bested him. Five couldn’t criticize _anyone_ for fucking up the timeline when he was in fact the time-meddling King himself.

Still, he didn’t budge on Klaus’s request to break into the commission to look into Dave.

“Ugh.” Klaus huffed. “No help. Not surprised.”

“Keep whining, Klaus. Won’t get you anywhere.” 

Just then, Klaus heard footsteps come up behind him and a very out-of-breath Diego.

“Asshole. Knew you wouldn’t listen to me.”

Klaus turned back towards Five one last time who was already engrossed in his research again. Who even knew what he was planning this time. He never let the family in on his solo operations. Jerkwad.

“Well. My ride’s here. Thanks for nothing.” Klaus called out.

“Anytime!” Five flashed Klaus a mockingly sassy smile that made Klaus growl under his breath. He wrapped an arm around Diego’s shoulder and tuned him out as he chastised Klaus for not taking his recovery seriously.

He didn’t have time to recover. His baby was out there running around with a bunch of dangerous chumps that had a chip on their shoulder and someone to blame- and it just so happened that that blame was being funneled onto Klaus and everyone like him. Never did he ever see himself being pushed into this situation.

But here he was with a bum shoulder and a rogue boyfriend who’s been dead for three years. If Five wouldn’t help him pick up the pieces, he’d have to do it himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are the absolute best! Thanks for letting me know your thoughts! You all make it so easy to write. 
> 
> NEXT UP: When the family is split on how to proceed, Klaus secretly contracts help with his plan to break into the commission. Shocked by what he learns, the "escape" part doesn't go well.


	3. Jed and the Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus has the opportunity to carry out his plan to get answers about this new Dave and is shocked by what he finds.

Diego was hot on his heels as he ducked into the vacant storage room. Klaus felt his brother’s hand on his back, gently urging him forward until the three of them were fully inside:

Diego, Klaus, and Jed… The Sparrow.

Well, his name was actually, like, Fred or Greg or something, but Klaus had an ex named Jed and couldn’t stop using it- nor did he care to. It was a sexier name anyway, and Jed-Fred-Greg was rather cute.

“Alright-“ Diego said in his low, I’m-about-to-dish-out-a-plan voice. That’s about when Klaus tuned out, his eyes staring into Diego’s but glazing over and allowing his thoughts to run wild behind the scenes.

He had been fraught with nerves ever since they arrived at the Commission. It wasn’t the ginormous, provably dangerous corporation that they were infiltrating that worried him. It was the thought of being close to Dave again. If he was an Antis and the Antis are an underground vigilante terrorist group birthed from the belly of the Commission, then he _had_ to be here, right?

Anyway, Klaus’s hands couldn’t stop fiddling. Thumbing his dog tags, pulling the skin around his fingernails, tapping his arm incessantly, tapping _Diego’s_ arm incessantly… He couldn’t sit still if their lives depended on it during this mission (he hates that he keeps subconsciously calling it a ‘mission’ like an Umbrella Academy schoolboy), and it just might. No one knew they were here.

The Commission certainly didn’t which was kind of the point of said mission. More importantly though, the rest of the Sparrows and Umbrellas didn’t either.

_This is fine. This is a good idea._ Klaus made a half-ass attempt to comfort himself. _Dave. Dave. Think of Dave._

Boy, was he. He hadn’t _stopped_ thinking of Dave.

Unfortunately, mostly about how he shot him. He just kept replaying that scene over and over again in his mind. He couldn’t tell if it was because he was a little fucked up by the concept of Dave trying to kill him, or if it was more just about seeing his age-appropriate Dave for the first time since Klaus held him dying in his arms. He was strongly leaning towards the ladder. He didn’t think he much cared about the whole being shot thing. Hell, Klaus accidentally shot Dave back in 'Nam at one point. They could consider it even.

_Stop._ He reprimanded himself. Lately, he’s been getting carried away and fantasizing about what would happen if he could get Dave alone- talk to him- convince him. Maybe the Commission had a record of their time together. Klaus had tried to ask Five and Diego if the infinite switchboard kept archives, but Diego didn’t know and Five refused to aide Klaus in his “reckless endeavors”.

“KLAUS. I swear to God. If you fuck this up,”

“I’m listening!”

“You were _not_.” Diego slapped the back of the head.

“Ow.” Klaus gasped, punching Diego in the chest. Diego went to grab his arm and Klaus twisted out of the way, both of them wrestling to get the upper hand.

“Guys! C’mon.” Jed cut in, inserting himself between them and acting as a barrier. 

“Klaus, these guys don’t mess around and the Academy is on good standards with them right now. We can’t afford to get caught sneaking in and trying to steal information. That’d just give the Antis more power to prove our ‘evildoing’ or whatever.” Diego harshly whispered. Klaus threw his hands up in the air.

“Okay, I know, I know... Keep it on the DL. Supes important.”

Once Diego was convinced that Klaus actually knew what was going on, the three of them left the room into a dark corridor that adjoined the main hall. They strode in with confidence, mixing right into the moving crowd of workers.

The only reason they were able to pull this off was because of Jed- his power was shapeshifting and the little show-off was so dang good at it that he could simultaneously mask multiple people around him. "Cloaking" he was adamant that you call it.

Within a second, he could make them all appear as stock-photo-worthy businesspeople that faded into the dull Commission background.

Diego led them, being the only one who has been inside the Commission thus far, insisting he committed the hallways to memory like the overachieving hero he is. He had to keep turning back to yank Klaus along though- he was just trying to play the part by waving at people and saying good morning. Plus, it was funny to watch Diego’s nostrils flare.

“Enough small talk.” Diego grabbed Klaus’s arm for the billionth time since they started making their way to the South end of the building. Klaus scoffed and rubbed his shoulder.

“Diego! It’s only been a week, I’m fragile.”

“You’re always fragile, don’t blame it on the shoulder,” Diego said, shooting a woman a fake, plastic smile as she brushed passed them on the staircase leading to the third floor.

“The most precious of packages are fragile.”

“You know what would be really precious?”

“If I focused on the mission.”

“You got it.” He said, turning on his heel once they came up to a sleek, nondescript panel guarded by a keypad. Diego scanned the hallways and tiptoed off to the side where an alcove dipped back out of sight for the water fountain. The three of them filed into the nook, pressing themselves out of sight of the main hallway.

“Your breathing down my neck!”

“Your neck is in the way of my breathing!”

The businessmen personas that they wore whisper-bickered until Jed hit them both in the arm.

“Yo. It’s clear. I’m going.”

“Alright. Yeah. Go, go, go.” Diego gave Klaus one last shove before he nodded curtly with fake authority.

Seconds after Jed bolted back into the hallway, their ears were pierced by a blaring alarm, and the hallways beamed on and off with a precautionary orange light. The siren was nearly unbearable, Klaus instantly throwing his hands over his ears and shrinking back.

“Jesus…” He muttered under his breath.

Diego was too busy peering at that single steely door from where they hid, waiting with his throwing arm raised, knife in hand. Klaus ventured to peer around Diego at the door until three commission-ites came scrambling out, letting the steel door slowly close.

Once they were out of sight and the door was nearly shut, Diego made his toss. The knife flew through the air in a flash of light and caught between the door and doorframe, of course, right in time to jam it.

Klaus just got more and more anxious as things were going to plan.

Jed pulls the fire alarm and helps usher people out in his disguise. Diego gets them their ticket into the Personnel Archive Room. Then,

“Repeat to me what-“

“Get to the machine. Search by category. Special Interest. Enchanted humans.”

“ _Enhanced_ humans, Klaus.”

“Enhanced humans. That’s what I said.” Klaus barely tried to cover up. Diego (who now looked like Diego as Jed ventured further away from them) just blinked blankly at Number Four before closing his eyes and sighing.

“Alright. You can do this, okay? Offload onto the USB. Then meet me-“

“In the East Wing bathrooms.”

“Right. Okay. I’ll give you as much time as I can. See you soon.” Diego gave Klaus a wink and a firm pat on the arm (ow, again) before darting off through the halls and disappearing. Klaus quickly moved from his hiding nook towards the door that was wedged slightly ajar. He grabbed the handle of Diego’s knife and slipped through the door, letting it close behind him.

Bathed in a LED-blue light cast by six large monitors secured to the wall, Klaus felt himself go cold- partially from the room’s frigid temperature, partially from fear of what he was about to find out.

In Diego’s eyes, Klaus was here on this mission to help him download everything the Commission had on all 43 of the “ _enhanced_ humans” that came into existence on that October 1st of 1989, the Umbrellas included. In Klaus’s eyes, he was truly here for only one file- Dave’s.

Of course, he’d get all the other ones too, but Dave was first. Diego didn’t need to know that.

An eerie broadcast of an old Bosnian radio station droned on the crackly speakers in the ceiling of the rather large room with rows and rows of file cabinets next to the computer. Klaus knew enough Bosnian to understand that it was a news broadcast from sometime in the mid-1950s. He spent some time In Bosnia about a year ago. It was a cult thing.

Don’t ask.

Hesitantly, Four stepped forward to the giant keyboard that was backlit on a desk below the monitors. The screens were filled with information that made absolutely zero sense to Klaus, some of it in languages he had never even laid eyes on before. His hands shook as he hesitantly tapped the “Enter” key, instantly meet with a loud,

_ERRRRRR._

Klaus jumped and pulled his hands back. The screens did nothing.

“Fuck.” Klaus muttered. No one told him how to _use_ the damn thing. He frowned and tapped his fingers impatiently at his side. Four closed his eyes and stilled, taking in a deep breath through his nose and exhaling through his mouth.

While he spent time traveling the world meeting other “spiritual leaders” from across the globe (some may call them cult masterminds, but he’d be hesitant to be _that_ rash), he learned a lot of different styles and practices of finding his “inner zen”, if you will. Anyway, lots of meditation and slightly ritualistic practices did, in fact, help him hone in on his powers. Klaus was pretty damn good at finagling them now, especially when he’s sober.

He was a little tipsy right now, he’d admit, but hey, he was going through a lot right now.

Klaus opened his eyes to see a room of bustling, blue personnel- employees of Commission past. There were two types of ghosties. Those who got stuck in a loop doing something reminiscent of their past life, over and over again; then there were the ones who were conscious of their mortality but had unfinished business or were just plain assholes who liked to wreak havoc. Klaus wasn’t surprised to find a bunch of loop-ghosts around here. Corporate workplaces; you do the same shit over and over and over until you heel over and die.

No thanks. Not for Klaus. Couldn’t even if he tried.

Klaus shook his foot impatiently as he watched some of the dead commission drones type through the computer until they did something remotely to Klaus’s benefit.

_Employee Archives._

The ghost-dude opened a load screen of what seemed to be an infinitely expansive database.

“Wait,” Klaus pounced into action. He instinctively clenched his fists as he banished all the ghosts back to that depressing little “between” place they limbo in. He jumped in front of the keyboard and tried to mimic some of what he watched the spirit peeps do. Mentally, Klaus gave himself a high five for using his powers and being a good lil’ superhero.

Using the drop-down touchpad (terrible design- not user friendly at all), he brought his cursor up to the search bar, flipped the keyboard to English, and then typed each letter with a trembling finger.

D A V I D M I C H A E L K A T Z

_Search._

.

.

… _scanning_

.

.

…scanning

.

.

…scanning

.

.

.

.

.

_2 RESULTS FOR, DAVID MICHAEL KATZ_

Well, only one of the profiles had a little “Active” stamp, so Klaus took a gander and guessed that was him. He would’ve loved to have a dramatic little moment staring at the file before he clicked and unleashed 5 unpredictable years of Dave’s life, however, Klaus was running out of time already.

He clicked.

**DAVID MICHAEL KATZ**

BIRTHDAY: 09/11/1944

AGE: 25 

Okay, so far Klaus knew that Dave was past the age he would've been when he met Klaus. Dave was 24 when he met him and turned 25 when they were in the heat of the war. Strange to see someone who was born in 1944 having a "25" next to "Age". 

There were other basic things that Klaus already knew about. Hometown, family, sports, his employment at the hardware store, volunteer work (show-off)...

As he scrolled, videos would pop up on the right two screens overhead- weird, kind of creepy voyeur-esque footage replaying recaps of some of Dave's past. Klaus couldn't help but get wrapped up in watching Dave interacting with his LaCrosse team friends in high school or playing the piano in an empty auditorium that he thought he was alone in (again- these weird voyeurism archives were freaky even for the Commission). 

Klaus took a moment- just one moment- to choke out a short sob and smile, reaching out as if he could slip through the screen and touch him. Klaus had always imagined an angsty, talented, quiet but intelligent teenage version of Dave and thought it was just downright adorable- this, and his brief brush with him in 1963, proved it to be true. 

Adorable. 

_Focus, Klaus._

He scrolled.

_Enlistment._

Klaus's eyes darted up and down the timeline-style graph of Dave's time that he spent enlisted...

In the marines. 

The _MARINES?_

Klaus gritted his teeth together and scrolled and scrolled and scrolled- nothing in Dave's enlistment history said anything about their brigade or the army or A Shau... 

Klaus sat back. Did he take a big sigh of relief that Dave's life was saved or does he crumple up into a little ball and suffer from the fact that he and Dave's history together no longer existed?

_That's what happens when you fuck with the timeline, idiot._

Klaus heard Five's voice in his head. He swallowed thickly, the lump in his throat making the action incredibly painful. 

_Keep reading._

_Recruitment._

"1967". Field Agent. Currently Employed. 

So he was recruited to the Commission before he would have even met Klaus. Did they scout marines for their field agents, or did they specifically want Dave?

He scrolled. 

_1968 Incident._

Uh-oh. 

An article popped up on the bottom middle screen. A newscaster popped up on the top right. 

"And in some rather sad news today, the explosion that shredded a local research facility to pieces. The authorities have not released any information on the cause, but reputable sources have informed us that foul play is likely involved. So far, there have been a total of 9 casualties..." 

Klaus tuned out right about there and kept reading down the article in the local newspaper that was released a day later it seemed. 

Interesting... The research center was dedicated to enhanced capability research... like... superhuman research. Like Klaus-and-all-of-his-siblings research. It was a branch of the University of Texas, Dallas. The center was founded in 1963... not long after they all made quite the ruckus through Dallas with their powers and various mishaps. 

Shit. 

Okay, but what did this have to do with-

Klaus stopped his thoughts dead in their tracks when his eyes fell over the casualties list. 9 names were accompanied with 9 black and white photos. Only one name stuck in Klaus's brain though. 

_Elizabeth Katz._

As in Lizzie Katz. As in the one person that Dave cherished most (before Klaus, duh). As in his little sister that he basically raised and would die time and time again for. 

Her picture showed Lizzie as a young, blond woman of no more than 19 years of age. Klaus gritted his teeth together and tried to contain his disappointment- his guilt. If he hadn't messed with the timeline, would Lizzie still be alive? If he and his siblings hadn't caused such massive waves in 1963, would there have been a research center at all?

He had to admit- it didn't look good that an entire research facility dedicated to studying people with powers mysteriously imploded, but there was no talk of _evidence_. Nothing that pointed a concrete finger at anyone with super-abilities to be the culprits. Still, it's what the media seemed to print. 

And worse? 

Klaus got to the bottom of the newspaper article to see, 

_Potential Suspects:_

Followed by five pictures. 

_Luther._

_Diego._

_Allison._

_Vanya._

_Klaus._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: Klaus impulsively confronts Dave


	4. The Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus confronts Dave with his newfound information, but things go awry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient! Enjoy!

Klaus trotted into the attic space of the Academy. This is where Diego, Five, and Luther were sharing a sleeping space ever since they took shelter within the Academy walls. After a huge Umbrella/Sparrow debate, some of them debating their own siblings, it was decided that it was just best for them all to stick together until they had a better handle on the Antis Group (which is slowly what they all began to conform to calling it).

Anyway, here they were a little less than one week later, the family had just gotten into another big skirmish with each other and the Sparrows regarding whether to be proactive or on the defense when it came to Antis. Diego desperately wanted to break into the Commission as soon as super-humanly possible. As he described it, they could never get a leg up on a group that was three steps ahead of them. The Antis had access to everything the Commission had access to- nearly infinite information. Diego insisted that they needed to know what exactly the fight was for before they could fight it.

Klaus thought that was actually rather responsible for Diego. If he didn’t have his own personal reasons for following Diego on the Commission break-in idea, he might even consider backing him anyway.

The other side of the argument was spearheaded by Five and fraudulent-Ben about preserving their good standing with the Commission and avoid being wrapped up in their corporate politics.

Also a good point, but only one side benefited Klaus’s needs so he stuck with Diego, even letting him believe that it was Diego’s idea to break into the Commission secretly anyway. That took quite a bit of subtle manipulation on Klaus’s part which he wasn’t _proud_ of, but he needed in that building and without Diego, he didn’t even know where to begin.

After most people sided with Five and stupid-Ben, Diego hatched the plan, Klaus and Jed jumped on board, and now they were set to break in early tomorrow morning.

But first, Klaus had questions.

And so, the attic is where he found Five, still spiked with energy from the debate. He paced around the room a couple of times in deep thought before he noticed Klaus standing there.

“I know why you’re backing Diego and not me, Klaus. Diego may be too thick-skulled to see your selfish motives, but don’t even think about trying to go on some-“

“Okay, okay- I just came here to ask you some harmless questions. I don’t want you to get your granny-panties in a twist. Is it possible to… I mean, if Dave doesn’t remember or experience _my_ timeline with him- is- there’s no way to, uh…”

Five blinked blankly.

“…do anything about that?”

It made him feel selfish for even asking. He should just be happy that Dave was alive, full stop. But then again, Klaus felt pretty damn entitled to feel broken up about losing ten months of being in love with David Katz. Sure, he’d have the memories, but to anyone else, it was nonexistent. Maybe a wiser, more selfless man would let Dave be, but Klaus was not that man.

Five sighed and sat down on his cot, leaning his elbows on his knees and letting a flop of hair fall over one eye.

“It’s very illegal… but…. Yeah, there has been preliminary research into breaking through an alternate, personal timeline dimension. There have been cases where trigger had allowed personal memories from totally different timelines to leak in.”

“Yeah! That- that sounds…. Good, right? How do I do that?”

“No, Klaus. Not ‘good’. There’s a reason it’s illegal. It’s extremely painful, unnatural, and in many cases, completely lethal.”

Klaus felt his heart fall, his facial features following suit.

“Oh...”

“The mind isn’t meant to comprehend a lifetime in a matter of seconds.”

“But what about, like, five years?”

“Five years shoved into the mind in five seconds? Yeah, that’s risky. Trust me. Messing with the laws of time and poking holes in the dimensions of different timelines? Not a good idea.”

“Right… Well, uh… Nevermind then.” Klaus nodded dejectedly. He didn’t mean to outwardly show how bummed he was, but the stabbing pain in his chest just kept reminding him that once again, he was left without many options. Either give up on restoring any kind of memory of Klaus and Dave’s time together, or risk killing Dave.

He couldn’t go through that again, so his choice was pretty clear.

“Hey, Klaus.” Five called after him when Klaus turned and made it all the way to the attic’s threshold. He turned, an eyebrow raised. “I’m not saying to give up, alright? I’m saying…. Just hang tight. When we settle these dim-witted radicals, I’ll help you. Promise.”

Klaus let a small appreciative smile slip. It wasn’t often that Five offered up words of comfort, so it kind of hit different even if Klaus still had plan B under his belt.

“Okay. But watch it, that’s _my_ dim-witted radical you’re talking about.”

Five smirked and stuffed his hands in his shorts pockets.

“Noted.”

* * *

That moment with Five was just yesterday, but now as Klaus stood inside the Commission in a top-secret covert operation, so much had changed already.

Klaus just stared at his own picture- the irritatingly overused one of him at the height of his “spiritual prowess”. He didn’t really know how long he just stood there- his body and mind kind of just went on pause to process he supposed. Needless to say, he completely forgot about Diego’s mission.

When he did find that he could move again, Klaus couldn’t help but keep reading. He read about Dave’s recruitment, his leave when his sister was murdered, how he himself ended his leave early and got back to work after being declared psychologically fit, and the many missions that Dave had already excelled during- assassinations, just like Five.

Klaus swallowed painfully, his mouth dry. This wasn’t Dave. This wasn’t _his_ Dave, the one he knew. This was a Dave powered by the overcoming need for vengeance against whoever took Lizzie’s life far too soon… and Dave thought that person was _Klaus_?

It would explain being shot instantly.

_Oh my God…_

_OH MY GOD._

Klaus would admit though- he felt a little bit more secure in at least _knowing_ what he was up against now. He hated not knowing what to do or how to help. It was that same powerlessness he felt when younger-Dave refused to listen to him in 1963.

But now, Klaus felt like he knew what he needed to do. He could set things straight, prove it wasn’t his siblings and him, and then… well, after that conversation with Five, Klaus didn’t want to provoke Dave to think about their alternate timeline together, but best-case scenario? Klaus makes him fall in love again which, he didn’t mean to brag but, that went _swimmingly_ the first time.

That was for another time though. Right now, Klaus was just remembering that he had Diego and Jed waiting on him and a whole slew of files to transfer. He did so, his fingers impatiently tapping the desk throughout the whole affair.

_Find “enhanced humans”._

_Plug in the drive._

_Hope it pops up and he can transfer._

Everything was going fine and Klaus was actually getting pretty excited that he was able to peruse Dave’s file and still carry out what his brother expected of him. After all, the family had a tendency to think Klaus couldn’t really do anything for shit and that was mostly okay with Klaus because he was on the same exact page.

Still, it’d be nice to… you know, not _always_ be that person.

Files of people flashed onto the screen as they were copied, long enough for Klaus to read names and study faces for about a second.

So, all these people were like his… super siblings?

Klaus didn’t really think this meant that family Thanksgivings were now requiring a staggering 43 seats around a gigantic table of circus freaks. No, six siblings were quite enough and he wasn’t accepting applications for more at this time.

But still, to be connected to this many others just like them was a strange feeling.

Somewhere in there, Klaus and his family’s files popped up and Klaus experienced something _very_ weird- was it… just typical kinship he supposed, or maybe even… protectiveness? A little powerful? Proud? Of his family?

… _really?_

Klaus supposed they had gotten much closer after the whole Dallas thing. Maybe thinking everyone was dead for three years had something to do with it. They _all_ thought each other were dead. It was something they had to just glaze over due to all the shit going on around them lately, but it still took effect.

Anyway, Klaus finished up the transfer and shoved the drive into his pocket, the sounds of crowds reentering the building getting louder and louder from outside the door. Klaus slipped out.

By some miracle, Klaus’s own extraction was pretty well timed and he was able to slip into the back hallways to tuck himself away until it was safer and emptier to run to his brother’s meeting spot.

And that probably would’ve been great- if Klaus hadn’t caught an unfortunate glimpse of something that changed everything.

Rather, _someone_.

He caught him in a crowd of people crossing through the cafeteria near where Klaus was concealed in a closet he left slightly ajar. Klaus only caught glimpse of him for a split second through the door crack, but it was enough to throw him into a state where he seemed to have utterly no control anymore.

Dave- Poor severely misinformed, hurt, commission-ite Dave.

And God help him- before he knew what he was doing, Klaus was following him. Tracking behind him from a distance, jumping from dark corner to dark corner, his eyes fixated on the back of Dave’s head. His hair was longer- just a bit. Just enough to be noticeable.

Klaus wrung his fingers nervously in front of him when he stalled outside the men’s locker room where Dave just disappeared. It seemed like there was a workout room across the hall and training grounds outside the window.

Klaus started to realize what he had done. He was on the total opposite side of the building from where he needed to get to Diego.

If Dave didn’t try to kill Klaus again, then Number Two certainly would.

Turn around. _Turn around._

Klaus ducked into the locker room.

There were a few others so he quickly diverted his eyes and turned into an empty locker corridor. He could hear a few mumblings and pairs of feet shuffling towards the exit after a few moments, allowing Klaus to breathe better.

_How are you going to do this, idiot?_ Klaus told himself in a very Ben-sounding voice.

Klaus started by knocking out everyone in the locker room save for Dave. That wasn’t hard after Klaus had discovered his ability to do so with his paranormal prowess. It turns out, if he really practices, he can nudge ghosts into the bodies of the living. Just a temporary possession that turns the living corpses into walking, moaning slugs as the spirit’s behavior takes hold of the meat suit.

Pretty neat. He hadn’t ever used it in a dire situation though- only for shits and giggles with Ben in 1962.To use it now made him nervous.

Still, Klaus watched as blue figures drifted into unsuspecting commission members who were in the middle of changing clothes, or turning on the shower, or packing up a briefcase. One by one, the men just stilled and blinked dumbly. If things got r _eally_ wild, one would turn slowly and take a few steps.

These were faded ghosts; ones that had been around so long that all they do is bitch and moan and pace slowly which was good enough for Klaus’s needs right now.

And then, there was Dave. Klaus knew exactly where he was changing- in the third aisle of lockers down where Klaus could see his hand flash into view as he was pulling on his t-shirt. Klaus ground his teeth together and took a few cautious steps forward, hoping that he didn’t miss any stragglers that may still be moseying about the locker room.

There was a moment… Well, okay. _Many_ moments… where Klaus had half a mind to turn on his heel and bolt, but here’s the thing with Klaus- Usually he kind of knows when he’s making a stupid decision or impulse grab. The difference between him and other people is that he doesn’t care. He mostly lives his life in search of a little excitement- a little distraction. So when a situation arises and he has the chance to throw everything into chaos, his curiosity gets the better of him.

This was different though. Klaus truly couldn’t tell what was the “right” decision- to confront Dave or to keep moving. To keep moving would be the safer option, but Dave was _right here._ He had this rare chance to catch Dave alone (save for the possessed shells of human beings mulling around) and _without_ any weapons. There were signs throughout the Commission- _NO FIREARMS IN THE BUILDING._

If Klaus remembered correctly, the last time Dave laid eyes on Klaus, he shot him without a second thought. Maybe this was the only chance he’d get to talk to him- really _talk_ to him without having to worry about being snuffed out by his former boyfriend.

And with that in mind,

“Um… Dave.”

Dave jumped and whipped around, his hand still raised into his locker where he was shoving his duffle bag back in. He froze for a second and Klaus could only think about his eyes- watch their blue inflections while Number Four searched for something. He wasn’t sure what. Recognition? Any bit of love that may be left hidden in there?

He wasn’t met with any of that but rather shock and then, action. Dave’s eyes flickered behind him and he went to lunge for the door, but Klaus acted quickly- quicker than he thought he even could. With the flick of his wrist, Klaus slammed the main locker room door shut. He couldn’t _see_ it from where he stood, but he heard it slam and knew it wouldn’t open again unless he allowed it.

Another little perk of having three years to explore his powers a bit- he had this telepathic kind of control like Vanya and Diego had, just his own variation. He had to be surrounded with a lot of spiritual energy (the Commission was _crawling_ with it) and Klaus had to learn how to manipulate and control it.

He wasn’t the best at it, but as the situation just revealed, it _did_ come in handy.

“What the hell is this?” Dave tensed and backed up from Klaus, clearly shaken from his display of powers.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to- I just want to talk… Please.”

Oh, it was so hard to keep track of his thoughts with Dave looking at him- with Dave standing there ten feet from him. He was _his_ Dave, that’s for sure. But small things were different. He had a small scar on his jaw near his right ear. That was never there when Klaus had known him. He was more intense- his stance, his eyes, his hard gaze, his muscles.

But still Dave. He was Dave and that was all Klaus cared about.

“I don’t have anything left to say to you.”

“Okay, listen. I know things have gotten a little skewered but I need to set the record straight. Dave… I-“

_God, where does he even start?_

“We aren’t the monsters you think we are.”

Dave didn’t react. He didn’t move. He just dug his pupils into Klaus and waited for him to continue.

“I- I’m sorry that… that this all happened. This all happened because of me.”

“I know.”

“No, not- Not what you think, I- Dave, I’m sorry about Lizzie.”

“Don’t.’

“But-“

“You don’t get to say her name.” 

“Dave, it wasn’t me! It wasn't us. It wasn’t my family.”

“Oh, so the magical blue implosions that exploded everyone’s brains from the inside out were _not_ consistent with the sorcery shit you and your terrorist buddies brought to Dallas in 1963? So, you _didn’t_ seek me out and try to coerce me to get closer to my sister’s research?”

“I- No, no… Jesus, Dave-“

“I’ll admit, it took me a while to get there. To realize I was _this_ close to playing into your bullshit. Trying to “recruit” me. Pretending you knew me. Trying to get to her.”

“No. God, just- How would I even have known? That was 1963!“

“And you’re from 2019.”

Klaus closed his eyes and sighed, quickly opening them again when he realized that Dave was on a war-path and was actually quite dangerous to lose sight of right now.

There was just too much to explain and this outburst from Dave- this monologue saturated with hate and pain- it took Klaus off guard. He felt awful, to say the least. He messed with Dave’s timeline. He messed with everything.

“Yeah, but-“

“You can time travel whenever you want. Especially with the brat in knee socks. That’s the thing about you and everyone else with a leg up. You think you don’t get to follow the rules. You think you can go around changing the world, mowing down the “lesser” lives in your paths.”

This actually hit Klaus a little harder than he thought. Of course, Dave was a little misconstrued when it came to the details, but considering the big picture, Klaus knew that he and his family weren’t perfect and sometimes they did leave destruction in their wake- destruction and deaths that they didn’t mourn enough- that they didn’t take seriously enough.

After their father told them that they were special enough to be held at a new standard than the general human population, they believed him.

And that was wrong. Klaus knew that. The rest of his siblings were starting to realize that after Dallas.

Now, how does he convince Dave of that?

“You’re not completely wrong about that, but not in the way you think.”

“Where you go, death, destruction, and the end of the world follows. I don’t need to know much more than that.”

Klaus bit his lip. Okay, this wasn’t going super well. He wasn’t expecting Dave to get to him like this- to make all these jabs that made Klaus second guess himself.

He was right about that though, wasn’t he? They brought the apocalypse along with them. It was their fault _both_ times. Klaus got Dave involved in this new life of vengeance and pain. Hell, Klaus had stayed up many a night wondering if it was his fault that Dave got shot in the first place back in A Shau.

Realizing that they were about five feet closer now after Dave had stepped forward in his angered ramblings, Klaus found himself wildly out of his element. He didn’t know if he felt terrified of Dave and how he looked at him now- with so much darkness and need for revenge. He didn’t know if he felt three year’s worth of much needed relief from seeing Dave alive and so close to him. He didn’t know if he felt devastated that all he wanted to do was wrap every one of his limbs around Dave and squeeze the life right back out of him, and yet, Dave hated him.

He _hated_ him. And Klaus was starting to realize that this had been a theme for a while. How long had Dave been waiting to see his face again?

How much did he want to get another shot in _right this second_?

“Well…” Klaus muttered quietly, pretty damn overwhelmed and not knowing how to unwind everything that just fell from Dave’s lips. “You look good. For a severely misinformed, hard-ass I mean.”

Dave’s eyebrow raised just a bit at the sudden comment. It caught him off guard which is more of what Klaus was going for.

“David. Please. All I’m asking for is… I don’t know, like twenty minutes. Stop by the Academy.”

Dave scoffed cruelly at this.

“You think I’m going to fall for that?”

“Okay, not the Academy then. The-“

“I’m not falling for anymore of your bullshit, Klaus.”

Hearing his name coming from Dave in such a way that he’s never heard before- full of so much fury and mockery- it stung.

“Mm.” Klaus hummed, feeling his control over the situation melt further and further away. Before he could recompose himself and try a different angle, Dave tipped his chin up just a bit and narrowed his eyes at Klaus.

“How’s the shoulder?”

Klaus blinked dumbly while he tried to grasp what Dave was saying. He had completely forgotten about their last meet in the moment. Dave asked not out of concern, but more to rub metaphorical salt in the wound. Klaus stood his guard.

_This isn’t Dave. This isn’t your Dave. Don’t let him get to you._

“Ah. Yeah. It seems you shot me last time. Look. Totally willing to look past all that. Maybe even deserved it a bit, but Dave, listen to me. I. Had. Nothing. To. Do. With. Lizzie.”

Dave stared. He didn’t move. He didn’t blink. Klaus fidgeted uncomfortably.

“You don’t believe me, do you.”

Dave blinked, but didn’t move. Klaus suddenly felt the air get colder.

“Oh. You’re doing a silent thing now, okay. Yeah, sure. Jeez, I didn’t know this version Dave would be playing so damn hard to get. Hey, it’s okay. I like the chase. Kinda hot. You just need time.” Klaus started mumbling out loud, trying to formulate his next steps while Dave just watched him work through his thoughts.

“And what- What are you looking for?” Klaus said the third time that Dave’s eyes seemed to flicker just a little to the left behind Klaus. Dave’s eyes settled back on Klaus, but again, he said nothing. There was something smug in his eyes though, and it sent an icy dagger into Klaus’s heart. He suddenly had the feeling that he was being watched from behind.

And so, following instinct, Klaus turned.

And that’s where shit hit the fan.

He did see a figure behind him, tucked away near the aisle of lockers across from them. Before he could even act on this though, it became abundantly clear that it wasn’t this mystery figure he should be worried about.

It was Dave.

As soon as he turned, he felt Dave's arm around his neck, holding Klaus’s body flush up against his. Klaus yelped before his airway was cut clean off. He tried to elbow back into Dave’s ribs, but _damn,_ Dave had a dominating hold on him. Klaus could only writhe in Dave’s grasp as he struggled for air. His fingers came up to Dave’s arm to claw at his skin, but Dave was relentless and obviously well trained. 

“Dave-“ He managed to choke out before Dave tightened, pushing black spots into Klaus’s vision.

He could smell him- a scent so familiar and hard to describe that all Klaus knew about it was that it made his nostalgic heart sink into his stomach. It was just something exclusively Dave. He could feel the rise and fall of Dave’s chest against his back too. He could feel his breath on his ear, the flex of every muscle in his arm that squeezed and squeezed until Klaus was slipping from the world.

The last thing he saw was the mystery figure approaching- a man he didn’t recognize but he obviously recognized Klaus with the evil little smirk he wore. He said something along the lines of, “Nice work,” to Dave. That’s when Klaus started to feel his body and mind get lighter. He was drifting. He wasn’t fighting back anymore.

Was he trying to kill him or subdue him? Klaus didn’t really even care at this point. If he survived this, Diego would kill him anyway. 

_Shit. Sorry, Di._

The last thing he thought as his windpipes were crushed by the one person he loved more than anything in the universe was that despite his predicament, it felt so goddamn _good_ to be wrapped in Dave’s arms again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: Klaus wakes to find himself in a nightmare he's less than prepared for. Dave starts having inexplicable "episodes".


	5. Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus wakes up in a nightmare. Dave starts experiences strange occurrences.

Cold and sore- just like that winter he spent in Budapest with the beginnings of his cult. Klaus was hesitant to move, not sure what kind of physical condition he was in. After all, Dave had so far shot him and nearly strangled him to death, so who else knew what he was capable of?

And yet Klaus _still_ didn’t really hold it against him. Especially knowing the situation David was coerced into and how Klaus was kind of the cause of this particular timeline. He still wasn’t scared of Dave, per se. He knew who Dave was at his core and it wasn’t this scary bad-guy act he was pulling. Klaus wouldn’t fall for it. Nope.

When Klaus did venture to move and open his eyes, he found that he was on some sort of terribly uncomfortable cot not unlike the ones that he and Dave would sleep in at the barracks of Long Bihn Post. The rest of the room was completely vacant though. The walls, floors, and ceilings were all made out of a highly reflective, dark, steely material. The dimensions around him couldn’t be bigger than five by five yards.

It eerily reminded him of the prison that Dad had made for Vanya when she was younger.

The next thing he realized was that the base of his neck felt like someone had twisted tight and painful knots near his upper vertebrae. Klaus groaned and reached back with a shaky hand and felt as his fingertips brushed a cold button-like parasite that was latched into his skin. Klaus winced as he gently tried to pull it out of the back of his neck, but the button was really buried in there, somehow embedding itself deep inside him.

“Ewwwww. Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew…” Klaus shuddered, not liking that concept in the slightest. He pulled his hand back and decided to not rip out a chunk out of his neck today.

Then he went to stretch out his arms for the first time. Klaus felt his right arm yanked back towards the bed by a harsh, cool metal and instantly whipped his gaze down to see a handcuff enclosing his wrist. The other side was attached to the bed frame.

Damn. If Dave walked in, Klaus didn’t know if there was any way that the situation _wouldn’t_ make him shamelessly horny. 

Dave did walk in, but the moment was kind of ruined with the terrifying clear plastic case of medical supplies and needles he carried.

“This isn’t cool. You know, my sister was kept in one of these like an animal too. She blew it up though. And our house.”

Dave froze from where he stood at Klaus’s bedside, the case on the mattress and Dave midway through flipping it open. He glanced at Klaus and they held each other’s’ gazes. Klaus’s was more in a mockingly adoring way, while Dave’s eyes were still sharpened into cold, mean orbs.

“What? Is that some kind of threat?” Katz pressed. 

Klaus didn’t blink. Neither did Dave. The air between them was so heavy that Klaus could feel it pushing him into the bed. And then, he burst out with a short giggle.

“Not really. I can’t do that.” Klaus shrugged, crossing his legs casually as if he had invited Dave into _his_ dwelling and was now but a guest in Klaus’s habitat. “Just making conversation.”

Dave shot him another glance before snorting in bitter amusement and rolling his eyes. Klaus felt the corner of his lips rise just a bit in reaction to this- he had missed when Dave used to do that after Klaus said or did something ridiculous that he pretended to not understand but actually adored.

“What?” Klaus couldn’t help that some of the affection he was feeling for Dave’s familiar reaction leaked through in his voice. He doubted Dave would notice anyway.

“I just don’t know anyone else who would react to being kidnapped like you just did.”

“So, you think I’m cute is what I’m hearing?”

Dave obviously ignored his smug flirting.

“And this isn’t my first rodeo,” Klaus admitted regarding the kidnapping.

_And you’re here, so…_

Dave turned his attention from his medical case to Klaus’s arm and reached for his bicep. For a fraction of a second, Klaus had a short little image of other times Dave had done this- reached down to Klaus to pull him into an unexpected kiss or to snake his arms around Klaus as he cuddled into bed next to him. Klaus had actually often seen Dave from this angle, and that short little moment alone was enough to send memories flooding back.

But Dave grasped Klaus’s bicep and turned it so that the crook of his elbow was pointed up towards the ceiling. He brought his other hand forward and revealed a butterfly needle- something Klaus knew meant he was losing some blood today. But why?

“Shot me. Strangled me. Now you’re going to _bleed_ me to death? David. The audacity, really.” Klaus continued to clearly annoy Dave as he lined up the needle against Klaus’s skin.

“Um. Excusé moi.” Klaus wriggled away out of Dave’s grasp. “Are you even qualified to be doin’ that?”

Dave didn’t much care for Klaus’s protests though. He grabbed his arm rather roughly, surprising Four into stillness just long enough to shove the needle into Klaus’s arm.

“Ow.” 

Defeated, Klaus sighed and laid back in the shabby cot, letting Dave do as he pleased. After all, he knew David. He knew his persistence- determination. There really wasn’t much use in fighting him.

“Dave?” Klaus breathed out when a moment went by. His eyes had slid closed and his body felt heavier than before. Klaus was just realizing that his drowsiness wasn’t going away- it had been hanging over his head ever since he woke up. “I’m sleepy.”

There was a moment of silence and Klaus thought that Dave was just done talking altogether, but then,

“Dimi-clasp.”

“Gesundheit.”

“The thing in your neck? It’s supposed to dull whatever’s causing your enhancements.”

“My ghostie powers? I thought it seemed quiet in here. Can I get a couple of these to go? How’d y’all figure _that_ out?”

“It wasn’t us.”

Klaus raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t act stupid.” Dave deadpanned.

Klaus threw his head back and groaned.

“Dave, I _don’t know what you’re talking about_.” Now he was just getting frustrated.

“The decimated research facility? Lizzie and her team?”

“Oh." Klaus sighed. "The facility I didn’t even know existed.” He flat-lined, shooting a less-than-friendly gaze at Dave. He could only play around for so long before he had address the fact that Dave had kidnapped him with his little band of undesirables and still searched for vengeance against Klaus’s nonexistent indiscretions.

But of course, Dave ignored him, stubborn as he is.

“Not all the research was lost. Mostly thanks to my sister.”

“And she hated us too?”

“No.” Dave surprised Klaus with his answer. He pulled the needle out of Klaus rather roughly in a way that Klaus _knew_ was purposeful. He sucked in a short breath of pain and jolted back from Dave in defense. “And in the end, that’s what got her.”

Klaus sighed, not knowing how to argue about a situation he quite literally knew nothing about.

“Mm.”

Dave started to pack Klaus’s blood samples into his case, rummaging around and putting things back in their pre-dedicated places.

“So. Do you like your job?” Klaus asked, propping himself up a bit on the bedframe and draping his arm over his stomach while Dave readied a bandage to wrap around his elbow.

Radio silence.

“You like ganking random people because that’s what big brother told you to do?” Klaus proceeded to press about Dave’s assassin position at the Commission. “And then on weekends, some light discriminatory harassment?”

Dave tugged Klaus’s arm towards him and wrapped the gauze silently. This was another small moment that opened up the floodgates of memories for Klaus. How many times had Dave already done this without knowing it? Gently wiping Viet Cong blood from Klaus’s forehead, or wrapping his twisted ankle after a trek through the A Shau, or constantly redressing Klaus’s shrapnel wounds that one time he almost bit the dust back in ‘Nam.

For the tiniest of a cruelly hopeful moment, Klaus actually thought Dave might have shared the feeling of strange familiarity in the way that he abruptly froze and blinked blankly. He resumed wrapping though, and Klaus told himself to stop searching for useless inklings of hope.

“You’re not a commission drone, Dave.” Klaus quietly continued, his voice saturated only with seriousness now. Dave just averted his eyes and finished up with Klaus’s arm, closing up his case. “You’re not some self-righteous vigilante terrorist. You’re not cut out for it. You’re too-“

_Good_. Was the plain but true word that had just barely graced Klaus’s lips before he made the mistake of impulsively jumping up from the bed to try to reach out for Dave who was turning and leaving. All at once, before he could get far, Klaus saw Dave whip around and land a pretty good blow in Four’s gut, forcing the air from his lungs and giving life to a tight pain in his abdomen. Klaus collapsed in a heap of curled limbs on the bed, groaned and shrinking away from Dave.

“Jesus…” He wheezed, holding his arms around his stomach and curling in protectively, trying desperately to get air back in his body. Dave didn’t seem to a second thought to the fact that he just slugged Klaus in the stomach, his expression even sharper than before as his gaze drilling down.

“Keep talking, Klaus. See what happens.”

And then he entered a code above the door handle, waited for a loud buzz, and stepped through the threshold.

“RUDE!” Klaus shouted back at him as Dave left him in temporary agony.

Geez, this guy. Okay, he’d forgive this one too, but Dave fucking _owed_ him once he realized that Klaus was right and that David was just being a big prick.

He was different though- not entirely. His mouth still just barely twitched when he was concentrated intently on something, his hands were always perfectly steady and remarkably soft, and he made eye contact in a way that made you forget your own name… but there was something dark in him now; a darkness Klaus always knew was there from the beginning (because who _didn’t_ have a little of that), but that had really blossomed into something dangerous.

Not to mention, he seemed a lot more trained than the last time Klaus knew him. He had always been their squad’s best soldier back in ‘Nam, but he wasn’t really competing with much to work with. Now though, Dave was running around keeping up with some damn big players.

It was scary.

It was mysterious.

It was…

Sexy?

Klaus smiled at this ridiculous (if only ridiculously _accurate)_ realization, still taking deep breaths as his lungs unwound and let in some more air. He wiggled into a more comfortable position, wincing at the new soreness in his abdomen and the dig of the handcuff in his wrist. Klaus let the drowsiness take over as he willingly called back the feeling of Dave’s fingertips on his arm from a minute ago.

* * *

Dave handed the case off to the lab and walked back through the outdated hallways of the old firehouse. He and the rest of The Organization had moved their operation here right when he was brought on board. It was the first place he had been able to think of as “home” in a long-ass while.

He needed that. He relished that.

Usually, he’d look out the window on his way down the main hallway to check for any signs of incoming rain. He and Lizzie would get so excited when it’d rain when they were younger and when times were simpler. Ever since she died, he found himself in a tough spot where the rain reminded him of her sweet-hearted, toothy grin but damn, it just hurt _so bad_ to remember at the same time.

This time, Dave’s mind was elsewhere though. This thing with this "Klaus" character was really throwing him- it had been for over a week since he shot him in that motel. He wasn’t all too surprised to see Klaus there- when he and the rest of _The Organization_ ambushed the place, they knew the ones who called themselves the “Umbrella Academy” were inside and he now knew that Klaus was part of that- part of the people who caused so much upheaval back in 1963… then 1964 with the sporadically apparent “enhanced persons” disturbances… and then in 1965, when Lizzie was blasted to pieces.

Ever since then, Dave imagined seeing Klaus again. He imagined putting a bullet in his skull- snuffing out his last bit of light like he had done to his little sister. He couldn’t believe how stupid he had been- to _almost_ believe some random guy suspiciously waltzing into Dave’s life for pink paint who later insisted he knew everything about Dave.

At first, David supposed this was just some scam for the peacemongers to get him to join their bizarre, strangely sexually-charged cult. It wasn’t until later that it was revealed that the Umbrella’s were only after preserving their upper hand over the world.

Not anymore, though. Not with _The Organization_. They fought for the little people- the regular humans who shouldn’t have to subject themselves to the chaos of the “enhanced”. Just because they believed they were special didn't mean that they got to do whatever they wanted and mow down everyone else in the process. Dave wouldn’t let what happened to Lizzie happen to anyone else.

Not to mention, there were still conspiracies that they killed the president which Dave didn’t doubt after the whole research lab incident.

“Hey. David.”

Dave spun on his heel and trotted back to the threshold he accidentally breezed by- Arst’s office.

“Yeah?”

“How’s he doing?” Arst asked when Dave stepped into the sleek, modern office. Arst always impressed him- he was strong and had his shit together.

“Uh, he’s…”

Arst raised an eyebrow at Dave as he searched for the best word to describe Klaus Hargreeves.

“…weird.”

“Hm. Well. You’re doin’ alright, Katz. I know it’s not easy seeing how… personal this situation is.”

Dave always admired how Arst talked so quickly too. It got the job done, in record time no less.

“Yeah.” Was all Dave could possibly think to say. Something about Klaus, he just… he just fucked up his head. After the smallest of interactions with him, Dave would be left flustered for days without explanation. Of course, maybe it made sense considering that he was partially responsible for the death of his sister.

But there was something else- something Dave felt like he wasn’t ready to admit to.

Klaus was confident in a way that told Dave that on the inside, he was actually crumbling. He was witty- smarter than you’d originally think. Maybe even a silent genius. He was charismatic and personable and unafraid- unafraid to dig into your personal vendettas like he had the same right to be there.

He was…. weird. That’s the best way Dave could describe it.

“There something else you want to tell me?”

Arst always knew when there was.

“No, no…” Dave immediately covered up the very blaring truth that everything was _not_ okay. “Just… It’s a lot of pressure. Knowing what he did- to Lizzie.” David partially-lied. Yes, that part was hard on him, but there was something else- something he wasn’t ready to confide in Arst because he didn’t know what the fuck was happening himself.

The latest instance of what Dave is referring to happened just moments ago as he drew blood from Klaus’s arm. It was like a fever dream- like a flash of an image right before his eyes. He looked up and suddenly, the Klaus he had known since 1963 was different. Not toally different, but he had short hair and wore different clothes. He wore _fatigues_.

Not only that, but Dave’s surroundings changed. Instead of sitting in the steely prison cell that was created to contain people with enhanced powers, Dave’s eyes saw a canvas tent, dirtied with use. Instead of one cot, there were many, sloppily lined up next to each other in a way that told you that this tent was _used_ , and used well.

And the _sounds_. Dave heard distant gunshots that brought him back to his time in the marines, but this wasn’t a flashback to _his_ time in ‘Nam. No, he didn’t recognize the specifics. It was like he was seeing through someone else’s eyes- someone who was seeing Klaus in a different light.

And then, within a fraction of a second, he was back like it never happened.

So, Dave figured it was best to pretend like it didn’t. After all, Arst had warned him about this- about Klaus’s ability to shove false memories into his mind to activate this falsified story he was constantly fabricated about _knowing_ Dave.

Bullshit.

“Of course. You know… David… If you want to sit this one out-“

“No.” Dave said instantly. He told himself it was because of how long he’s waited for revenge, but deep down inside, he felt like there was some other reason he refused to address.

* * *

Within the next few hours, Klaus found himself strapped to a cold, medical table surrounded by at least five other people, one female, and four males. Earlier, he was dragged down by Dave and some other chump to be left here, tied and calling out for some kind of entertainment for almost thirty minutes.

Or two minutes- it was hard for Klaus to tell time after he was forced into this shithole.

Anyway, they finally came in and Klaus was regretting begging for some kind of company. These people were steel-faced and obviously no fun. They shoved needles and IV’s into him, taking his vitals and personal medical information.

“So I’m guessing I don’t get to know what you’re doing with me?” Klaus had asked. They ignored him.

_Guess so._

Presently, the guy who seemed to be on top of the whole operation was shoving a syringe needle into a junction of Klaus’s IV tubes, intent on injecting him with whatever that clear goo was. Klaus glanced over and frowned.

“Please tell me that’s morphine. I could really go for some morphine.”

The man, tall and a little lanky, didn’t even so much as flinch as he calmly inserted the needle and started slowly pushing down on the syringe’s plunger, releasing the chemicals into Klaus’s bloodstream.

“Uh, ‘kay.” Klaus raised an eyebrow. How rude. No introduction and to just start injecting someone with mystery shit?

“Nice to meet you too, Mr…” Klaus waited for an answer on a name.

“Doctor.” The man instantly corrected.

“Oh. So you’re one of _those_.” Klaus murmured, remembering the corrupt doctor he had met when he was at the height of his drug addiction. The dude would sell him narcotics but only after _insisting_ he be referred to in the “Dr.“ pretense, in the cockiest of ways.

Klaus decided he had no interest in this self-righteous doctor-dude and glanced around the room instead. Luckily, he found what his eyes longed to see.

“Dave! Dave! Hi, Dave.” Klaus raised his head off of the surgery table enough to catch a better glimpse of David who stood shrouded in shadow near the corner of the room, watching rather uncomfortably. Klaus just increased Dave's discomfort and made him fidget- no doubt that he didn’t want to appear as a friend to Klaus among his colleagues.

But, hey… what were boyfriends for if not embarrassing their S.O’s?

Either way, it made Klaus chuckle in deep admiration.

Fuck, he missed him.

Fuck, this sucked.

What even _was_ this?

The Doc-Dude was now shoving a firm stick of wood and… leather? (kinky) into Klaus’s mouth, but it only made Four increasingly nervous. He knew what this was for, he just didn’t want to admit it.

“Wha- Why-“ Klaus started to protest through his new gag, but the pain was answer enough. It started where the IV was injected in his arm but it quickly spread like a virus infecting his body- like a dull soreness that grew to an unsubstantial burning pain that just got worse and worse.

_Uh-oh._

Klaus glanced over to Dave one more time, if not for anything but comfort, before squeezing his eyes shut against the ever-increasing agony.

_Klaus… What have you gotten yourself into?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: Klaus figures out what he was truly imprisoned for and starts to see signs of progress with Dave.


	6. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus spends more time with the new-Dave and later learns more about the reasons for his imprisonment.

He was quietly escorted down the hallway by Dave and only Dave- Klaus guessed they didn’t feel the need for precaution when he could barely stand on his own two feet. He stumbled to catch up with Dave’s pace that only slowed a little to accommodate Klaus- like he wanted to but had to be looked at as this tough, macho man who liked to toss Number Four around like a ragdoll whenever he pleased, just like the rest of them.

Once in Klaus’s cell (he still couldn’t tell what kind of building he was even in), Dave let up his grip and even gently lowered him to the bed, immediately moving to handcuff his wrist.

“Kinkyyyyy.” Klaus croaked, his throat still hoarse from the screaming.

To recap, it hurt. It hurt a lot. It wasn’t just a sharp pain in his side or his leg or his shoulder though… it was a burning pain that spread to every inch of his body until it wrapped into a billion excruciating knots that felt like they were _squeezing_ venom into his system. It was a dull, deep-seated pain mixed with an agonizing bone ache accompanied by a surface _burning_ that made Klaus feel like he was a witch being burned at the stake.

Wasn’t he, though? Persecuted just because of his powers… just because he was different.

Klaus was used to being different and used to being shit on for it too- that wasn’t a problem. The _problem_ for Klaus was that his beautiful boy- his sweet, genius, compassionate Dave was part of it.

And it was Klaus’s fault.

Well, if you trace it back to when Klaus fucked Dave’s timeline over. Of course, Dave didn’t have to be such a dick if he didn’t really want to. Still, Klaus was happy to remain patient with him if that’s what it took.

“You know,” Klaus continued when Dave refused to acknowledge his earlier comment. “, it took me over a month to get you to even put your hand around my neck and squeeze even a _little_ bit in the old days. Now, look at you. Choking people out left and right probably, huh?”

No comment. Of course.

Instead, Dave fished a small wallet-sized case out of his pocket, flipping it open.

“That doctor-man-guy… that’s the head honcho, huh?”

Dave’s quick, surprised glance was all Klaus needed for him to know that it was a sign of confirmation. There were certainly perks to already knowing all of Dave’s facial tells.

“Yeahhhhhh…” Klaus croaked, repositioning himself in bed to better accommodate his soreness that was still plaguing him from moments ago. “I know enough about ‘spiritual leaders’ to know when someone is coercing others through confidence and false promises.”

“You talking about yourself?”

“Pshhhyeah.” Klaus snorted, referring to his cult-leader time. Okay, so _suuuuuure_. Now that Klaus had left his 1961-1963 timeline, he was willing to admit that _maybe_ things got a little cult-y. “But, Dave… Listen… You _really_ hate supers _that_ much that you’re willing to be this guy’s lapdog?”

Dave definitely registered what Klaus said. His jaw clenched and every gleam of friendliness faded from his eyes.

“Dave, I know you probably _hate_ it. Don’t pr-“

“ _YOU DON’T KNOW ME.”_ Dave scared the living daylights out of Klaus by suddenly interjecting. Whatever he was doing in that little metal case in his hand was forgotten. His desaturated irises fixated on Klaus, giving him his full, infuriated attention.

“I-“

“We know you were looking into me. Looking for more details to dig up to use as bait- to use to fucking warp me into your twisted agenda.”

“ _What?”_ Klaus was at a loss for words. He was getting really sick of not knowing what the hell Dave was even upset about.

“We took the history data from the personnel file room. You looked into me and you took that hard drive of information on all known supers. Quit this ‘I know you from another life’ bullshit. You can give the whole song and dance a rest. It’s up.”

Klaus was struck silent. He really spun himself into a web with this one- there was just too much to explain and too little time and the truth sounded completely insane to anyone with a trace of reason in their body. So, as Dave (surprisingly) took an angry seat at the edge of Klaus’s bed, he did the only thing he could think to do:

“You hate it when your Mom tells the story about you biting that kid in kindergarten.” Klaus blurted out, freezing Dave in his tracks. Part of Klaus screamed for him to stop, to remember Five’s warning about Dave being in danger if he was to remember his timeline with Klaus. Dave didn’t speak, so Klaus continued to spout out whatever his mind could grasp quickly.

“You have over 200 vinyls and had to start using your older brother’s room for storage. You haven’t seen your older siblings since Christmas in ’64.”

“Zip it.”

“ _And_ … if you haven’t yet figured it out, you’re 300% very gay. Trust me, I kno-“

Klaus flinched back violently when Dave reached his hand forwards towards him. Maybe it was instinct based on the fact that Dave had so far shot, strangled, and socked him in the gut recently, but whatever the reason, it ended up being unwarranted.

Instead of striking or subduing, Dave reached behind Klaus’s head with a small gadget between his middle and pointer fingers. His hand snaked around the back of Klaus’s neck until the key-sized contraption was fixated over Klaus’s… Digi… Didi… Whatever-clasp secured in the back of his neck.

Klaus instinctively slapped Dave’s hand away, afraid of what he was doing with the gadget that was imbedded deep inside of him. Dave was quicker though, catching Klaus’s wrist in his free hand and still proceeding to grasp the back of his neck with the other. Klaus heard a click as Dave did _something_ with the clasp. It started to do weird things and move under Klaus’s skin like tendrils shrinking back into the button.

It freaked him the fuck out, but he had to admit- he was a little distracted from the small horror moving around inside him and was more focused on the intimate position he was forced into with Dave. They were close- like less than a foot from each other’s faces, Dave’s hand holding one of Klaus’s wrists at his side and his other hand wrapped around Klaus’s neck, naturally pulling him in a little closer.

It was warm. His skin was soft and comforting even despite the circumstances, and even in the timeline, Dave cupped the back of Klaus’s neck just like he used to when he’d lean in for a kiss or to pull their foreheads together to say something important- with his middle and ring finger pressed firmly into Klaus’s skin while his pink and pointer finger lightly rested over the base of his skull and his C7 vertebrae.

Four’s breath caught in his throat. He was afraid that if he moved a single muscle, the moment would be over and he wanted it to last so bad. He could tell Dave was slightly put off by the interaction too. He averted his eyes from Klaus’s quickly, shifting on the bed uncomfortably but having to keep this “key” thing secured over the clasp.

Klaus understood now that he was taking it out- probably the only way to do it without ripping out a chunk of Klaus’s neck and bleeding out. Nice.

“I know.”

Klaus blinked, his eyes never leaving Dave’s even if he refused to gaze back. He had to think about what he said for a moment before his interest was sparked. So, Dave knew he was gay at least. Klaus took some solace in knowing that this timeline didn’t _completely_ suppress Dave’s true person.

But, then again…

“Do other people?”

Dave glanced at Klaus quickly, as if he remembered how close they were before looking away like Klaus’s stung his eyes.

“Cameron. From accounting.” Dave gave a nonchalant shrug like they were now two friends having a casual conversation. Klaus couldn’t help but let a small smile slip in secret. He knew that if he treated Dave just like he used to, he’d eventually soften up by the nature of his personality.

Klaus knew he couldn’t keep this “tough-guy” act up forever.

And, what’s this? Was Dave implying that he-

“Ben from homicide. John from down the hall. Um… Everett from case management.”

“DAVID.” Klaus gasped, almost forgetting that Dave wasn’t _his_ Dave for just a second. This fleeting moment allowed him a moment of respite from the nagging pain in his chest that constantly reminded Klaus, _he’s right there but he’s NOT yours._ “You _slut_!”

But there was no venom in Klaus’s voice in the slightest. He wasn’t the jealous type- in fact, it kind of turned him on to picture Dave with a bunch of other hot commission-ite guys. He _wanted_ Dave to get some.

If not to feel a little better about his own sexual escapades in the past three years, but still. When he met Dave, he hadn’t had many experiences with guys yet and as much as Klaus found it adorable and innocent, he wanted Dave to experiment. He wanted him to have some sexual revelations, even if that was with other people.

He never got how people _obsessed_ over the whole jealousy thing.

“Anyway.” Dave gave the clasp a little pull and suddenly, Klaus felt a sharp pain.

“Ah! Geez.”

“Not really any of your business,” Dave said, his cold demeanor taking over once more as he took the tiny little button that was causing Klaus so much discomfort, placing it into the case.

“You don’t need to _dull_ me anymore?” Klaus pressed, rubbing the back of his neck where he surprisingly didn’t feel one single drop of blood. Dave didn’t answer.

He guessed he already pushed Katz out of his comfort zone for the day. He stood, packed up, and wordlessly left, allowing Klaus to sit with the hilariously amusing image of Dave being an adorable lil’ whore, making his way through the workplace.

After drifting off (mostly to escape the dull aching pain that still pulsed inside his body), Klaus was rudely awakened by a firm grip around his bicep, yanking him out of bed and to the floor.

“Fuck, what the-“

_BAM._

Knuckles met Klaus’s cheekbone and pain erupted in his skull, heat rising to his flesh. He crumpled to the floor, his head spinning and his vision discombobulated.

“Where are they.”

“What are-“

_BAM_.

Backhanded. Klaus felt blood forming around a new cut on his lip. He grimaced and licked it away, raising his eyes defiantly at his attacker:

The Doc.

Well, at least it wasn’t Dave for once.

“Your band of self-proclaimed heroes.”

Klaus let out an exasperated laugh, spitting blood onto the floor and wincing at the way his arm was twisted uncomfortably behind him by the handcuff that secured him to the bed.

“ _My_ band of heroes? Excuse me- I’m the _last_ sucker to know _anything_ about what my family is doing. Why the hell does everyone think I-“

Klaus’s superfluous rambling was halted full-stop when the doc delivered a short but punchy kick to his gut. Klaus coughed and doubled over, curling into himself. Every part of his body was throbbing now, begging for the constant abuse to take a chill pill. It still wasn’t anything Klaus couldn’t handle though. If anything, the physical pain was the least of his worries.

“Hot damn, Doc…” Klaus sputtered.

“You better start thinking. I want a comprehensive list of-“

“No.”

“ _What?”_

“No. Maybe I wouldn’t have really given two flying fucks before, but the problem is, my fam and I are kinda tight now. I can’t fuck it up and more to the point, as I’ve reiterated time and time again, _I don’t fucking kno-_ ”

_BAM._

Another punch that would certainly leave ugly bruising around Klaus’s eye ( _great_ ) before a man waiting patiently behind the doc stepped forward and yanked Klaus up from underneath his arms.

“No…” Klaus groaned in protest, his mouth tasting of iron and his bones aching. “Leave me be.”

He noticed that the doc stepped back out of the way and seemed to roll his shoulders back in an attempt to regain his composure. In the short time Klaus had been around him, he immediately noticed the guy’s psychopathic level of restraint. This moment must’ve been a rare one- an infrequent loss of temper by the good doctor.

Resuming what Klaus assumed was his usual positions (standing above someone else who’s been coerced into doing the dirty work), the doctor’s eyes never left fours as he calmly wiped Klaus’s blood from his knuckles.

Klaus hated this man, he decided. Self-righteous prick.

“Take him down the hall. We might as well get today’s treatment out of the way.”

Klaus found out that the liquid he was injected with the other day- the pain juice, whatever it was- was a daily occurrence sort of deal.

To put things plainly, that sucked.

What sucked even more, though?

“The dosage will be upped daily. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” The doc lightly chuckled to himself (if you could even call it that- Klaus guessed this guy probably wasn’t even _capable_ of laughter in any capacity) as he filled the syringe with Klaus’s daily dose of the horrific mystery medicine.

Sometimes, he talked so low and fast that it sounded like he was growling. He took Klaus’s arm roughly twisted it upwards as much as he could while working with the table’s restraints.

“Ow. Watch it Doc McGruffins. Hey, wait. Where’s Dave?” Klaus added, realizing that out of the three figures in the room, none of them were the faces of the man he wanted to see most right now. Because even if he refused to act it, Klaus was terrified. He _hated_ whatever this liquid was that he was getting pumped with.

No answer.

Klaus was kind of wishing this guy was more Hollywood-villainy. This whole not telling Klaus his plans thing was getting frustrating. In the movies, that’s all the villains wanted to do! Tell you allllll about their plans.

Klaus and Ben went through an old espionage film phase. Don’t get him started.

“He’s too good for you. You and all this loony conspiracy crap. I’ve met a lot of people like you, as it turns out. Deranged but confident. Unfounded but a master manipulator. Pumpin’ me with your… compliance Kool-Aid and whatnot, probably. Is this what you did to Dave t-“

“ _This_ is a protein binder.” Doc held the syringe up for Klaus to see, interjecting before Klaus could continue with his harsh criticism. Four could tell he struck a nerve- he insulted the doc’s intelligence. You can be sure as hell that Klaus was _trying_ to, though.

Talking to ghosts was fine, but Klaus’s true superpower was annoying people into complying with what Klaus secretly wanted.

“The serum attaches to the hidden proteins- the ones that are the cause for your… abilities. It latches on, collects data, infiltrates the DNA, and soon, when we extract it back out through your blood cells, that information will stick and we will harvest the capability to enhance subsequent DNA of whoever we wish. No more leg-ups. No more “chosen” ones who believe themselves to be “special”. The information will be in the _people’s_ hands.”

“But… what? It hasn’t worked yet?”

“It’s only entering initial experimental phases.” Doc muttered, sticking the needle into the junction of Klaus’s IV, the bulk of his villainous explanation clearly nearing an end.

“And you’re just going to keep torturing me until it works?”

“Don’t be daft, Hargreeves. This is a slightly altered serum from yesterday. At a slightly higher dosage.”

Yeah, Klaus could tell. Already, the pain was stabbing needles into him and threatening to spike at any minute.

“Look, dude. If I knew how to fucking give them to you, you could take ‘em! I don’t want ‘em! None of us asked for our powers. We’re all just out here doing the best we can. I mean… You seriously think that we’re maliciously plotting against the general population at any given time?”

“No.” The doctor shut down Klaus quickly, his finger still slowly depressing the syringe’s plunger and releasing more pain juice into Klaus’s system. He felt the throbbing start back up, the deep-seated ache from yesterday returning. “I think you’re reckless. All of you. Your egoes will be the death of us all. It already has been in previous timelines. Your… pious attempts at proving some kind of fabricated destiny. That’s much more dangerous.”

The pain was really starting to take hold of Klaus’s body and mind- it was even getting hard to concentrate on the doc’s words at this point, but he was learning so much- everything that came out of the man’s mouth was another clue to how Dave got wrapped up in this mess. How _Klaus_ got wrapped up in this mess too.

“And you could do better?” Klaus managed to choke out through gritted teach, his wrists starting to strain against his wrist straps.

“I certainly wouldn't bring down buildings… towers… monuments and homes and _FAMILIES_.” Doc just absolutely _burst_ in the last few moments of his sentence, his composure crumbling before Klaus’s eyes until his hands shook and his eye twitched.

Klaus _really_ hit a nerve now. He was stunned, actually. He had to admit, he originally pegged this guy as a little cuckoo for Cocoa-Puffs, but now he saw, this was personal. It wasn’t just Dave who lost someone to what seemed to be enhanced-persons-arrogance.

“Suddenly, this feels personal.” Klaus broke the tension by voicing his thoughts, the doctor pretending to now be only focused on administering the increasingly painful liquid. “Look…” Klaus moaned uncomfortably as a wave of pain and nausea came and went. He took a deep breath and continued. “We’re doing the best we can. We hear your complaints and appreciate the feedback, but I don’t _want_ to think of myself as a hero. I just want to get high and hide away in dark corners with cute guys and loud music!” Klaus tried to defend the best he could when he was starting to think that the doc may have had a point- they _did_ kind of just think they could manipulate the world’s timeline like it was their toy, but what Klaus said was true too- they were doing the best they could. It wasn’t like the destruction and casualties went unnoticed.

Either way, it certainly didn’t warrant tying him up and torturing him with this… “protein binder” shit.

Speaking of which, Klaus wasn’t sure how much longer he could carry on the conversation without his half just turning to screams of agony. His limbs were trembling with the effort to stay calm against the daggers puncturing his insides.

“Which made you an easy target.” Doc McGruffins muttered, giving the plunger one last shove with his thumb, releasing the last third of the medication in one swift go.

Klaus’s heart clenched at the movement, knowing that it was going to hit him soon and hit him hard. He had but seconds to process what the doc had just said because it sat weirdly with him until the gears in his brain started turning.

The drugs made it hard for Klaus’s brain to connect the dots sometimes, but give him time and he at least _got_ there eventually.

“Uh… How much do you have on me, exactly?” Klaus grunted through the pain, _needed_ to know the answer. Because if the doc knew about Klaus’s partying and drug tendencies… his patterns, defining traits, vices, weaknesses… then what else did he know?

Doc didn’t answer.

“Did… Did you know about Vietnam?” Klaus asked, gasping at the end of his sentence as a wave searing infliction rendered him speechless for an awful moment. His skin was starting to feel as though it was being incinerated, sweat forming on his brow.

No answer yet again.

“Did you know about Dave?” Klaus choked out, his ankles and wrists acting on their own accord in useless attempts to rip free of the table’s constraints. “Did you- Did you know I’d come for him?” He forced himself to retain enough concentration to accuse through pained pants of air.

He had to know.

He had to know if Dave was in this position because of him- because of who he was.

The thing was, Klaus subconsciously knew the answer already, even if he wasn’t ready to admit it.

Not to mention, the doc’s silence was answer enough.

And _lord have mercy_ , the pain was so bad now. Soon, right when the screaming started despite his attempts at restraint, Klaus only had three thoughts-

One: He prayed to that little girl on a bike that he passed out soon so as not to endure one more second of whatever was happening inside his body.

Two: The doc wasn’t as blind and nutty as he thought- he had a clear-cut agenda and he knew which buttons to press- which strings to pull.

He knew how to get Klaus in his grasp all along, and the key lied with Dave. Dave, who he was purposefully corrupting just to get to Klaus.

Dave was here because of him. For _multiple_ reasons, now.

Which brought Klaus to number three…

He and Dave both had to get the _hell_ out of there ASAP.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: Dave is pressured into something he doesn't know if he can bring himself to do. The dynamic shifts between him and Klaus as tensions rise and the timer ticks.


	7. Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave pressures himself to be harder on Klaus but he may have pushed it too far.

Dave remembered the first day that Klaus that spent at the firehouse facility. He remembered the first day the tests began. In fact, Dave couldn’t stop thinking about all of those little interactions with the abhorrent mystery that was Klaus Hargreeves. Specifically, his mind ran circles around the image of Klaus up on that table- strapped down and screaming and thrashing in pain.

It wasn’t that it was hard to watch. Dave had seen his fair share of horrors between his time in the Marines and as a commission field assassin. It was just…

Familiar? Eerily so. And to make things even worse, Dave was getting those migraines as he stood at the back of the room, observing the whole ordeal. It started as a dull throbbing and spread to the front of his brain.

And then, there were the visions.

It was like a dream, but Dave was still wide awake. It was as if he just seamlessly slipped into someone else’s life- borrowed their eyes momentarily. Not just their eyes though, now that Dave thought about it. The whole thing was hyper-realistic. Every single sense was active.

It started with the smell of smoke and napalm- like his nose itself was remembering Vietnam. But then, he felt the heat on his skin. He felt helicopter-level winds and heard the beat of their blades.

And soon, Dave _saw_. He was no longer in the dark, frigid, gutted storage room they transformed into the medical experimentation suite. He was no longer watching as Arst pushed the collection serum into Klaus’s Iv. He was no longer hearing Klaus’s screams.

But, wait… Yes he was.

Because the scene that displayed itself in front of Dave despite his inner protests was one similar to what was happening in real life- Klaus, being held down, thrashing and screaming in pain.

The difference was that this time, they were in the back of a chopper. _This_ time, Dave held him close.

**"Shhhhhhh. Sh. Sh." Dave helplessly held Klaus's head in his lap as his body thrashed against the medic's advances to remove the shrapnel from his right side. "Klaus… Deep breaths." Dave forced the words outside from his mouth despite the difficulty he was having with his quickly closing throat. He closed his eyes, firmly pushing his fingers through Klaus's hairline with one hand and holding Klaus's left hand with the other. Klaus didn't show any signs of being able to hear or understand him, but Dave tried nonetheless. What the fuck else could he do? "I'm here. I'm here."**

When Dave opened his eyes back up, he was back to reality. Klaus still thrashed and screamed, but it was from the steely table by Arst’s side. Dave himself though was left breathless, his hands shaking and his head splitting in two. He grimaced and backed further from the scene before him, not even sure what to do in the situation.

What the _hell_ was happening to him?

**"Klaus, shhhh." Dave tried to calm some of Klaus's panicking convulsions to no avail. The medic went back in and Klaus screamed against the leather strip that the medic had told him to bite down on. His body thrashed against both Teddy and Dave's hold on him, his chest uncontrollably heaving.**

**"** _**Stop, stop, stop** _ **…" Klaus's muffled pleads choked against his gag between his screams.**

**"You gotta hang in there, man." The medic muttered under his breath, not ceasing his movements. Klaus yelped and whimpered again, tears escaping his tightly closed eyes. Dave felt his insides cave in again, another tear falling down his cheek. He turned away.**

Dave couldn’t let Arst find out that Klaus was getting into his head this way. Why him? Why Dave? Hadn’t he fucked him over enough? Why not try and coerce anybody else around them?

Did he know Dave was an easier target?

Was it because he was weaker?

Dave scolded himself for projecting his father and uncle’s voices into his subconscious. He knew he had an issue with that, and at 25, he felt like he shouldn’t let it get to him.

But it did. Dave told himself it didn’t, but it did. After that first day when Dave was barely able to control the overwhelming vision bursts, all he could think about were those voices in his head- telling him he wasn’t good enough; wasn’t strong enough; wasn’t man enough.

And so, he couldn’t tell Arst. He couldn’t tell anyone. He could fight it by himself.

Besides, the morbid truth was that Klaus probably wouldn’t be around much longer for Dave to have to deal with this issue. Still, the whole situation made Dave nervous when he went to take his blood on the third day. The second day, he hadn’t seen Klaus at all- Arst had taken matters into his own hands due to some issues they were having with Klaus’s family.

But now, on Day 3, even though Klaus was just as annoying and nosey as ever, Dave could tell the procedures were taking a toll on him. He was running out of steam.

Not fast enough, but noticeably.

“Dave, I’m not saying this for me. I’m saying this for _you_. They’re _using you_.”

Dave didn’t say a word, shoving the needle into the crook of Klaus’s elbow and taping it up. He found it utterly ridiculous that Klaus was trying every single angle to corrupt Dave- and again, why _Dave_?

“This isn’t even speculation Dave, the Doc so much as told me!”

“He did, did he? What’d he say?”

“Well…” Klaus scrunched up his face, thinking back. “It was more about what he _didn’t_ say-“

“Kay.” Dave snorted coldly, a small roll of his eyes accompanying to tell him that he didn’t buy Klaus’s bullshit.

“No, I- God, I’d say that the commission made you a stubborn son of a bitch, but you were always that way, weren’t you?”

Dave resigned back into silence. After all, he felt like every word he let slip was a loss on his part. Klaus had a way of making you talk though. He had a way of wiggling his way into your subconscious and it was starting to drive Katz absolutely insane.

What had to be the worst was when Klaus would go silent though, because in those moments, he’d just watch Dave. It wasn’t with malice or intimidation or anything like that, though. His eyes would soften and he’d study Dave like his favorite painting and _that_ freaked Dave out.

_Because you like it._

Dave couldn’t be thinking that- not about Klaus. Not about _any_ of them. This guy was largely responsible for the absolute destruction of his baby sister. It horrified Dave that sometimes, he was caught in moments like this;

His hand around Klaus’s arm. The subtle thump of his pulse. The only sounds were the sounds of their breathing crashing together like waves. He could feel the gentle rise and fall of Klaus’s chest as it shifted the mattress ever so slightly.

“You should- oh.” Dave was about to suggest Klaus eat the food he brought before he passed out (if not just to break all the disturbing sexual tension), but realized the muffin and pear slices were already gone when he was diverting his gaze.

“What, am I supposed to be all badass and ‘I’m not going to eat from the enemy, huzzah’… No. I’m fucking starving.”

Dave nodded and did a terrible job at hiding the small smile that crept on his lips.

If Dave didn’t hate him, Klaus might even be kind of a hoot.

Later that day, they took him back down to the procedural suite and hooked him up to the daily machines and chords and tubes and whatnot. Arst readied the syringe with the modified, intensified collection serum.

Klaus didn’t seem all too worried or interested in that though- his eyes were fixated on Dave from across the room- only Dave.

He shifted uncomfortably and tried to tear his eyes from Klaus, but his eyes were so big and _purposeful_ somehow- like he was talking to Dave without words.

It wasn’t until Arst turned and caught their gazes that Dave hurriedly tried to look away, but it was too late. His stomach twisted into knots as he berated himself internally for letting Klaus get to him. Arst would notice- he noticed everything.

“Katz.”

Dave tried to act innocent, but in Arst’s eyes- he knew. He could see that Dave was struggling.

“Come.”

Dave did. Arst handed over the syringe and Dave tentatively took it.

“You do it.”

He offered no other explanation as to why because Dave knew why. This felt like a test- it _was_ a test, to see if Dave would wimp out. To see where his allegiance lied.

And of course, Dave jumped on the opportunity.

* * *

Klaus couldn’t meet his eyes as he came forward, but he watched his hands. He watched Dave’s hands as they took the syringe. He watched the doc’s own fingertips gently brush over the back of Dave’s forearm as he handed it over- purposefully.

Sensually. Ostentatiously.

His other hand gently fell on Dave’s hip as he guided him to Klaus’s tableside. The worst part was, Dave didn’t even flinch. He was comfortable with this type of close contact- he was familiar with it.

It had happened before. Much _more_ had happened before. Klaus could see it from a mile away.

Dave… and the _Doc_?

Barf.

A good distraction from the emotional pain Klaus was feeling from this reveal was the physical pain that was fast setting in- and this time, it was different. It was different because it was pain by Dave’s hand. Dave was the one pushing the pain juice into Klaus’s veins- the one making him writhe helplessly on the cool surface underneath his back.

And Klaus couldn’t look. He had no quips. No jokes. No sarcasm. He only felt the searing, inexplicably invasive agony that just got worse even when he thought it impossible.

And Dave just kept pushing that plunger. Klaus didn’t see it because he couldn’t bear to look, but he felt it. He felt that incessant burning turn to fire on his skin. He felt his insides being torn apart. He felt every morsel of his body rejecting whatever the fuck they were injecting into his body- and this time, he couldn’t keep his cool. This time, it was unbearable.

“Please…” Klaus found himself choking out pleas against his will not to. “Please, Dave…” He choked out, his body thrashing against his restraints, unauthorized and impulsive. His bones ached. His veins ached. His organs and tissue and cells ached.

His skull throbbed and his core twisted in absolute anguish.

Klaus screamed through his gag and twisted away from Dave’s side of the table, as if that’d help.

“Please…” He cried. “Please, stop.” Barely audible.

_Stop. Stop. Stop. It has to stop. It has to stop. Please, Dave. Please. Please, it hurts. Please._

Klaus’s mind panicked inside itself, only knowing pain.

This went on for an eternity. Who knows how long it _actually_ was. All Klaus knew was that the pain wasn’t fading after the injection was done. When Dave and some other chump yanked him off the table and dragged him to his room, the agony remained. It lingered longer. It didn’t diminish.

Klaus’s panick told him that this would be his life forever- this would be his curse. And it would always be administered by Dave, because why _not_ rub salt in the goddamn wound?

When it was only Dave and Klaus left in his little death-cell, the atmosphere was noticeably different. Whether it be because something in Klaus broke when Dave tortured him, or something in Dave didn’t like the whole situation, Four didn’t know. All he knew was that the air was heavier- only by a couple tons.

Dave helped Klaus into bed because the pain was too bad to move his own limbs. His breathing was labored, his head pounding and his muscles trembling with effort. Klaus curled into himself as soon as his body connected with the lumpy, subpar mattress- curled away from Dave.

Dave did some miscellaneous house work around the room for a couple seconds before Klaus broke the silence, his voice punctured with strain and torment.

“Are you and the Doc… you know…” Klaus croaked because he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Leave it to Klaus to be caught up on the sexual tension between his boyfriend and the doc rather than his lingering, physical misery.

Dave didn’t answer (as expected), but he did give a look. Klaus turned just to check for it- a look that screamed guilt. A look that screamed, “yes, you’re correct and I refuse to admit it”.

Klaus turned back away from Dave. He tried as hard as he could to hold himself together until Dave left, and then, he gritted his teeth and sobbed.

* * *

It was hard.

He didn’t think it would be, but it was. Dave didn’t like the way that each push of the syringe’s plunger caused more screams from Klaus’s mouth. He didn’t like the way he thrashed. He didn’t like the way he started begging Dave for mercy.

He had assassinated people he didn’t know after time and time again. He had tortured for information- for resources. It was nothing personal. It eventually didn’t bother Dave when he told himself it was for the greater good. But this? This was different and he couldn’t tell why.

_Why?_

Why did Klaus have this inexplicable hold on him and why couldn’t he break it?

Dave hadn’t stopped thinking about that day- yesterday, he guessed- that day he was the one who injected Klaus; tortured Klaus. He was the cause for his screams and cries for help. He was the cause of all his pain.

The perfect opportunity for Dave to redeem some of the doubts and inflictions he’s been dealing with when it came to Klaus.

And so he gladly accepted, but yet, he didn’t carry it out.

Because despite the fact that no one else noticed, as soon as Klaus started begging Dave to stop, he couldn’t. He. Just. Couldn’t.

When Arst was distracted near the end of the injection, Dave slipped the needle out of the IV tubes and shot the liquid to the floor so to save Klaus from further agony.

But, _why_?

Why was Dave so incredibly _weak_ when it came to this guy? Why couldn’t he get past this? This… this vengeance vendetta that he had… this was his chance. This was his chance to redeem Lizzie and everything that wrongly obliterated her.

Why was he wimping out? Why was he letting himself fall under the spell?

It ate Dave alive later that night and the next morning.

That’s why when he got the news about John- “John from down the hall” was how he described him to Klaus the other day, but to Dave, he was much more than “John from down the hall”.

John was a good friend… and sometimes a little more in the past, but they had always had a strong companionship no matter what the sexual situation was between them. John was the first friendly face to truly welcome him into the Antis group’s humble beginnings- he had lost someone to the supers’ recklessness too.

And now? John was dead.

Killed by supers.

Killed by Klaus’s fucked up circus of a family.

Late last night while Dave was sleeping and John was stationed at their main base, the enhanced academies (Umbrella and Sparrow… Dave found the names to be a little over-eccentric) made their move. The main base for their band of anti-enhanced vigilantes was a few miles down the road in the basement of an inconspicuous office building.

Somehow, the supers found them.

And they were demanding Klaus back.

Things got heated immediately and everyone was called in for backup. By the time Dave arrived though, the place was in ruins and there was no sign of the supers. They tore the place apart in search of Klaus until they were chased out, but not without leaving four casualties in their wake, John included.

Dave was the one to make a preliminary identity-check of the body. Dave was the one who called John’s mother to break the news. Dave was the one who removed his personals from John’s corpse to be handed over to the next of kin.

It left him boiling inside.

So, when Arst put a firm hand on Dave’s shoulder and squeezed in comfort, telling him in a low voice that this is why the supers were not a force to be taken lightly, it clicked for Dave.

This wasn’t the time to be doubting himself- doubting the cause and wimping out on his duty to his friends and coworkers.

Arst suggested they follow up with a certain super they still held captive.

Dave quickly obliged.

He failed to be strong enough to get the job done with Klaus the other day. He showed mercy where it wasn’t deserved. Dave would be strong now though. He’d be strong and Arst would see that he was still serious- his heart was still in it.

He burst into Klaus’s holding suite and had him shoved up against the wall before he even realized what he was doing. His blood was pumping fast and hot through his veins, his hands still able to feel John’s cold, corpse skin.

Klaus tried to push Dave away but between the continuous injections and lack of sleep and food, Dave had an easy hold on him.

“What the fu- _Oof._ ” Dave landed a blow to Klaus’s ribs before he could get too far.

“Enough quips. Enough bullshit.” Dave insisted, barely aware of the shock and hurt and Klaus’s eyes. He only thought of John… John and Arst who lingered behind him, poised calm and authoritatively in the center of the room.

“What are you-“

“Have you had any outside contact?” Arst interrupted Klaus in an eerily serene voice from behind Dave. Klaus glanced at Arst before turning his eyes, big and hazel, back to Dave as if for help.

Dave wouldn’t offer any.

He slammed Klaus against the wall once more.

“Answer.”

Klaus coughed and made a weak attempt to push at Dave’s biceps, his hands noticeably shaking.

“No! Jesus, just you ass-clowns.”

“What does your family know about the Organization?”

“What? You mean your asshole boyband th-“

Dave hit him in the gut, stopping Klaus’s words dead in their tracks. He let Klaus have a moment to get his breath back before he sputtered,

“Like, next to nothing! I don’t know! They don’t tell me shit. I’m the last fucking person to know anything, I swear.”

“You had no location?”

“No! I- What did they do? I’m in here! I can’t-“

“Where are they held up?” Arst continued the line of questioning from the other day.

Klaus’s face hardened.

“I _told you_ , I don’t-“

Dave lunged forward with his fist again, forcing Klaus’s breath from his lungs. Klaus tried to crumple to the ground, but Dave yanked him back up against the wall, shoving him hard. Klaus gritted his teeth, his eyes brimmed with tears.

_You don’t feel bad. You don’t feel bad. You don’t feel bad._ Dave told himself.

And then, Klaus turned his gaze to Dave’s again, their eyes connecting in that strange way that was similar to communicating. This time though, Klaus’s eyes _begged_ him. He could feel it.

Dave didn’t care.

“You’re better than letting this shitheel control you, Dave. I don’t know what kind of sex he’s giving you, but it _can’t_ be good enough to make you do this.”

Dave would’ve stopped Klaus’s attempts at coercion sooner if he wasn’t attacked by one of his headache-visions in that moment. It was Klaus again, as close to him as he was in real life, only a few inches. He was smiling though- healthier. Happier. He was running his fingers over Dave’s cheek.

And then, Dave was back to reality and the reality was, Klaus was trying to manipulate Dave again.

He got him in the gut again.

Klaus took a second to recover and then kept at it.

“He doesn’t care about you!” He insisted, summoning what little strength he had to try his favorite angle with Dave. Trying to turn him shamelessly right in front of Arst.

No way.

Dave punched again.

Klaus whimpered and gasped for air.

“…doesn’t love you. _I_ love you, Dave.”

Again, with this.

Dave was furious at his audacity. He felt Arst’s eyes on the back of his head and the painful, fabricated delusions seeping back into his brain, faster and stronger.

And Dave punched again.

“I love you.” Klaus whispered.

Again.

“I love you.” Even quieter.

Again.

“I love you.”

And again. This time, Dave let Klaus fall to the floor with his last sock to the stomach. Their captive curled into himself, shaking and coughing blood onto the floor. Dave’s own biceps and hands were shaking horribly, his blood pumping violently under his skin. His face was heated and sweat attempted to gather and cool his brow. It was getting hard to separate his realities now- fake images and hallucinations were flooding Dave’s senses like a damned tsunami.

Dave felt Arst’s firm, steady hand on his shoulder.

“Katz. You’ve done enough for today. Go home. Get some rest.”

Dave didn’t move or hear Arst’s words at first. His head was pounding in anguish, flashes of visions still flipping through his brain like an unwanted slideshow of falsities, attempting to take over his mind.

When his mind _was_ in reality, he couldn’t tear his eyes from Klaus- crumpled on the floor, coughing blood, gasping for air, grasping onto life.

This was all too much.

Arst must’ve been able to tell. He gently led Dave to the door and gave him a gentle shove out.

“Take tomorrow off. Alright?”

The door closed, shutting Dave off from Arst- off from Klaus who he nearly just beat to death. He didn’t even know how it happened so fast- Dave just knew that his only thoughts were to stop Klaus. Stop him from taking over his mind.

And still, the visions threatened to flood Dave’s skull, his head throbbing with the effort to stay clean of Klaus’s coercions.

With one quivering hand pressed to his temple, Dave got his feet moving. He didn’t know to where, he just needed to get the hell out of there and calm down. If he wasn’t hard enough on Klaus yesterday, he certainly made up for it tonight.

So why did he feel like utter shit about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. Probably one of the roughest chapters- things will get lighter soon!  
> NEXT UP: Dave starts to find evidence that Klaus is telling the truth, but Klaus is starting to give up. Is it too late?


	8. Day 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave starts to doubt himself as Klaus gives up altogether.

Dave couldn’t sleep that night, and when he did, he dreamt of Klaus. It wasn’t just fleeting moments and senses like usual though, these were full-fledged _scenes_ playing out in Dave’s head as he slept- as if his guard was down so his brain was free for the taking.

There was one that stuck around in his head- the others faded into distant memories as soon as he woke.

The image of Klaus giggling lovingly up at Dave from the tattoo parlor’s chair was etched into Dave’s vision like a catchy song you couldn’t stop thinking about. Dave didn’t have much control over his body in the dream. His limbs were heavy and tingly, his face hot and his head spinning.

Was he… wasted?

It certainly was reminiscent of the symptoms Dave got when under the influence of alcohol, but his mind was clear. He saw everything- remembered everything.

No, not remembered. Dreamed.

Dave was having a hard time separating the two words in his mind as the headaches and “mirages” seeped in. He was going absolutely insane- he was sure of it.

And it was all linked to Klaus. Of course, there was Arst who was insistent on the fact that Klaus himself was doing it, but honestly, somewhere deep down, Dave wasn’t so sure anymore. Klaus was so increasingly week from all the procedures and beatings, Dave would be shocked if he had the power to affect him like this still.

Then again, Dave didn’t know how the hell it worked and Arst did. Arst was the expert- the “doc”, as Klaus so mockingly referred to him.

Plus, Klaus had a big hand in Lizzie’s demise and that was something Dave would never forget.

( _Unless he was innocent_ )

Dave squeezed his eyes shut and banished the thought from his mind before stalking through the firehouse hallways towards Klaus’s room. Sure, he was _supposed_ to be taking “the day off”, but Dave concluded that all this fixation on Klaus and these increasing visions may just be due to Dave’s guilt.

Because even for someone as part of such a destructive, evil group of beings like Klaus and his family, Dave took it too far the other night. And now, his conscious was overloading him with signals that told Dave he stepped out of line.

That’s what he told himself anyway.

So, Dave went into Klaus’s room as he typically did around ten in the morning- with his blood collection kit and some food from the firehouse’s kitchenette.

When Dave walked in, the atmosphere was different though. He had already kind of gotten used to being greeted with a,

“David Michael Katz, everybody!” He’d announce and then start whisper-cheering as if a crowd of wild fans were awaiting for Dave’s arrival. Or,

“Daviiiiid. What a surprise! To what do I owe this pleasure? Please, come in. Come in.”

But this time, the room was silent and the air was heavy. And even more shocking? Klaus wasn’t in his bed.

For a split second, Dave was terrified. Not that he escaped or was on the fritz, but that Arst had other plans. Did they take him back to the procedural suite already? Did they figure he was too much of a liability?

_Did he die in the night because of me?_

But Dave quickly found him exactly where he left him- crumpled up on the floor a few feet from the foot of the cot, curled away from Dave. His heart thumped a little faster… that wasn’t good. Was he… breathing, even?

Dave timidly approached, but his training also told him not to let his guard down in case Klaus was planning any funny business.

“Kla-“ Dave realized his mouth was a desert. He swallowed thickly and cleared his throat awkwardly. “Klaus?”

He didn’t move. Dave still couldn’t see his face, so he couldn’t tell if he was ignoring him or out cold. Either way, he at least saw a very slight rise and fall underneath Klaus’s shirt that assuaged some of the fear that he may have prematurely killed the guy.

_Okay…_ Dave tried to give himself a confidence boost. _Don’t let him make you feel sorry for him. Head in the game, David._

Dave set the case down so that he could carefully help Klaus back up into the cot, but as soon as his fingertips touched Klaus’s shoulder, he jumped like Dave had just burned him.

“Don’t.” He whispered, his voice unrecognizable- quiet, raspy. “…please.” He added, even softer. Dave instantly retracted, having a feeling that it wasn’t that Klaus was trying to spite him- he was just in pain.

A lot of pain.

Dave froze for a moment and tried to sort out what to do. Was it crueler to move Klaus anyway or leave him on the cold, hard ground?

Dave finally decided that moving him was too much of a risk and set up the case next to Klaus on the floor, sitting cross-legged next to him. He still couldn’t see Klaus’s face, but he didn’t think Klaus wanted him to. He gave him his space- well, as much space as he could while also taking blood from his veins.

“So, um…” Dave muttered, carefully turning Klaus’s arm to reveal the dotted crook of his elbow, locating his vein and starting their daily routine. “I- I lost it last night and I shouldn’t have. I lost a friend and-“

_Why am I telling him all this?_

“- well, doesn’t matter. I just… sorry. That’s not usually how I do things.”

It was hard. Dave’s pride was pretty looming when it came to work and business, which for him was stuff like this- interrogating the enemy and occasionally assassinating some poor unsuspecting chump.

But Dave felt like he had to do this, if not just to save himself from the insanity that was taking over his mind. Because that was it right? It was just his guilt. Just his guilt and Klaus’s expansive coercion attempts.

Klaus didn’t say anything. He didn’t move a muscle in response. Dave didn’t expect him to.

They sat there in silence as red seeped into the collection tubing. Klaus didn’t even flinch when Dave had inserted the needle. Dave’s head starting pounding again in the silence, distant calls of soldiers and helicopter blades setting into the back of his mind like a distant parasite he couldn’t rid of.

So, he filled the silence.

“Listen… Arst is reasonable. If you can give him something… _anything_ , to work with… it’ll just make your time here easier.” Dave offered, and he meant it too. He knew that Klaus thought Arst was some monster, but he was nothing but practical, and if Klaus wasn’t so stubborn about information on his family, then-

“……..David Bowie…”

Klaus mumbled something so soft that it was incoherent. Dave glanced up from Klaus’s arm and looked curiously at the back of his head, admittedly a little relieved that Klaus was talking again. He was always yammering about something so the fact that he was mostly silent now was eerie.

“What?”

“I wanted to be the one to show you David Bowie.” Klaus whispered, still remaining frozen in place, his breaths barely even able to lift his shirt up and down.

Dave blinked dumbly. What did that even mean? Was he just completely out of it? He wouldn’t be surprised if Klaus didn’t even know where he was at this point. But still, he kept going.

“Queen. Tarantino. The invention of walkmans. Beyoncé.” Klaus choked out, his voice growing ever-so-slightly stronger with effort. “I wanted to watch your face when you-“

But Klaus pushed it too far and was overcome with an agonizing-looking coughing fit that ended with crimson staining the dark floors. Dave’s eyes went wide.

He was in a _bad_ way.

Dave didn’t know what he was talking about either. He guessed just feverish gibberish, but he could tell that Klaus _knew_ he was talking to Dave. Katz couldn’t tell if it was the physical strain of speaking or emotion that was seeping into Klaus’s vocal tones.

But in the silence of Dave not knowing what to say, he swore he heard him sniffle- he swore he saw his shoulders just barely shake.

They broke him. He was giving up.

When Dave silently started packing up Klaus’s blood samples, he spoke again. He was quiet, but he was lucid- direct, and sure.

“I can wait for years. Decades. Centuries. I can dedicate my life to proving to you what you mean to me. I would die to make you proud. But I-“

Klaus’s voice caught and he hitched in a breath that made him cringe. It made Dave cringe too.

“I don’t think I can do _this_ anymore.” He didn’t even try to hide the pain in his voice- the sniffles that broke through. He still kept turned away from Dave though, whether it be from the pain of moving or the pain of letting Dave see him this way, he didn’t know. “I’m so sorry.” Klaus whispered, his body slowly succumbing to small, short sobs. “I can’t do it. I’m so sorry, Dave.”

And maybe Dave would’ve actually dwelled on the fact that Klaus was giving such a damn good performance… such a _believable_ performance if his head didn’t split in two at that moment.

He jumped back and held his palm to his forehead, but nothing stopped the sharp jolt of pain that shot through his brain. Dave retracted backwards just in time for his surroundings to change once again. He was in a hotel room. He was in bed. He was in bed with Klaus in a hotel room.

But Dave fought back hard, laser-focusing on reality until the features of the cell-like room came back into view. The throbbing faded.

Dave started to pack up, afraid of more migraine attacks. He tried to cover up his discomfort even if it somehow _was_ Klaus that was causing his delusion spells.

_SLAM._

The pain hit him like a freight train head-on in his frontal lobe. Dave nearly dropped the case as his muscles lost all control and his eyes refused to discern between reality and illusion.

Dave gripped the handle of the case so hard that it sent pain signals to his brain, bringing him back down to sensibility.

Wordlessly, and honestly a little freaked out that something may be terribly wrong with him, Dave made his way towards the door. Dealing with this and Klaus was throwing him way off his game.

Arst was right. He should’ve taken some time away.

Deep down though, Dave knew he couldn’t stay away. There was something about Klaus that was like a train wreck- dangerous to be around, but how could you tear yourself away from that kind of unique, terrible phenomenon?

Before Dave made it out the door to take a breather and to think, he heard Klaus’s voice once more.

“I hope you never remember.”

“What?”

Klaus didn’t repeat himself, but Dave _had_ in fact heard him… he was just… surprised. All this time, Klaus’s whole shtick was this ridiculously outlandish story about he and Dave fighting side by side in Vietnam in another timeline, and that:

  1. Was followed by Lizzie’s demise at the hands of him and his family… Coincidence? No.
  2. Would be an extreme rarity- the commission’s whole purpose was maintaining the correct singular, central timeline. Of course, there were discrepancies that created small break-offs of forgotten, alternate timelines, but again, they were _rare_. Rare and kept under wraps in the basement.



But now that Klaus wasn’t trying to push this bullshit story in his face,

it was different. Dave always felt like it was an angle to get what he wanted, but the things Klaus said today weren’t to convince Dave of everything- it was like he was talking to himself. He wasn’t asking Dave for anything- he was making peace with the way things were.

It scared Dave because this was the first time he actually let himself believe that maybe Klaus wasn’t lying after all. The thought made Dave’s chest explode with pangs of guilt that he hurriedly pushed down. How could he feel such deep grief for someone he barely knew? The enemy that kept him up at night since Lizzie died, even.

And yet, things were starting to turn upside down. Dave didn’t _want_ to believe Klaus. Because if Klaus was right, then…

“Katz.” Arst’s deep, sharp voice cut through the air and stopped Dave midstride on the way to drop Klaus’s blood off at the lab. He stopped outside Arst’s office, turning into the threshold. “Thought I told you to take it easy today.”

Dave cleared his throat and raised the case to show Arst.

“I just thought getting back to routine would be best. I don’t mind.”

Usually, Arst gave Dave quite a bit of flexibility when it came to the Organization. It helped that they had a history too- Arst was the closest thing Dave had to some kind of relationship in the past couple of years. It wasn’t a romantically attached relationship, boyfriend kind of thing. It was mostly just sex, but Arst also served as a great mentor to Dave. He taught him a lot even just in the past year.

He took Dave under his wing and built him up in a way that no one else ever had so, yeah, Dave attached to that. He looked up to Arst. Respected him. And Arst had always acted as if he adored Dave, giving him special insider information and making him feel like one of the “founders”, otherwise known as the “bosses” of the Organization.

But something changed.

“When I tell you to do something, I expect to see it carried through.”

Dave was taken aback by this. He didn’t raise his voice, but there was something cold and off-putting there. Arst had always been pretty authoritative and was usually strict to a T about keeping professionalism at work, but this was different.

“Uh… yeah. Sorry ‘bout that.” Dave stammered, his eyebrows pulling together in slight confusion.

“I don’t want you in there anymore. Have Gene take care of it.”

Dave blinked.

“In… In there, you mean with-“

“The patient. Yes. Gene will collect samples for a while.”

_Something’s off._ Dave’s instinct screamed at him. He ran through reasons why Arst could be so adamant about putting Dave on the bench, but as he stood there, Arst didn’t seem to be a fan of his delay.

“Do you have a problem with this, Katz?”

“No.” Dave answered quickly, shifting uncomfortably. “No. Sounds good. I’ll, uh... Go find Gene.”

Arst gave a curt nod and Dave turned and left as fast as he could, hoping that Arst couldn’t read the disappointment on his face.

Which, by the way, why _was_ he disappointed to see Klaus less? Maybe it would be best to take some time away. Maybe this was all just too much for Dave with their history and Lizzie and…

He didn’t really believe that.

He didn’t believe it.

_I don’t believe that._ Dave realized. _But I certainly wouldn’t go as far as to believe all of Klaus’s antics._ After all, Dave knew all about Klaus’s whole cut-thing. He obviously had a skill for manipulating people into believing complete bullshit.

But later that day when Dave went into work for the commission, he was running on the treadmill when,

**"** _ **Klaus loves David**_ **… Wow, this is quintessential drunk-tattoo material right here, babe." Klaus rubbed his stomach over the Thai letters that** _ **literally**_ **spelled just that- Klaus loves David. "I can't believe you did that."’**

**"For all we know, it was** _**your** _ **idea."**

**"Yeah, okay." Dave snorted, rolling his eyes and wrapping an arm around Klaus's waist as they continued their walk towards the Chao Phraya River.**

Thank God no one else was in the gym when Dave went blank, lost his footing, and was projected straight into the wall behind him. He groggily pushed himself up and rubbed his head, his face scrunched in pain.

“Fuck…” He muttered, no longer able to take these episodes.

No longer feeling like he could go to Arst about it, or _anyone_ for that matter, Dave took matters into his own hands. He didn’t know what this would prove, but instead of going to their annual gun safety seminar, he skipped and fled to the language library on the fifth floor.

Dave slunk into the bookshelves and didn’t stop until five separate sources confirmed his own self-translation. English to Thai: Klaus loves David.

He scrawled his findings on the back of the index page of an old Thai dictionary and ripped it out, stuffing it into his pocket. The whole time, his heart threatened to beat right out of his chest.

But Dave had blinders on- he needed to do this. It was all he could think about as he drove back to the firehouse, leaving work early in hopes to get there while Arst was out for lunch.

He didn’t even check.

Dave burst through the front doors and walked at a brisk pace down to the lower levels where they were keeping Klaus. He prayed they didn’t have him hooked up to the collection serum shit right now. He just needed a minute… a _second_ alone with him.

“Dave. Thought you were-“

Dave brushed right by Gene Delarose- a good guy, but rather timid and not currently worth Dave’s time. Without a word, Dave pushed through to Klaus’s holding suite, finding him passed out on the cot, his breathing short and labored. His eyes and face were just barely redder than usual and Dave already spotted a new track mark where the IV was intserted probably not more than moments before he got there.

So they had already administered the new dose- no wonder he was passed out cold. The pain had nearly knocked Klaus out yesterday and today could’ve only been worse.

Dave found a part of himself wishing he was there and a part that was glad he wasn’t.

“Klaus.” Dave whispered, dropping to his knees at Klaus’s bedside. “Klaus.”

Nothing. Klaus didn’t so much as crack an eyelid. He just kept breathing as if an elephant was sitting on his chest.

Dave stuffed his hand hurriedly in his pocket and felt it close around the scrap of paper.

**เคล้าส์ รัก** **เดวิด**

, or “Klaus loves David”. Just like he saw in his last hallucination.

Dave carefully tugged on the hem of Klaus’s shirt that was already rising just above his bare hip bone.

It had only been four days, but was Klaus already thinner? Maybe it was just seeing him in this state that made him seem so… small. Fragile.

Dave carefully and slowly pulled the cotton up above Klaus’s stomach, the fabric sliding over bruises and discoloration from the many hits Klaus had sustained. But even with the hues of purples, blues, reds, and yellows, Dave could see it. He could see it as clear as day.

**เคล้าส์ รัก** **เดวิด**

“Klaus loves David”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: Dave makes a risky move to indulge his new suspicions, unaware that it will change everything. The Calvary is coming.


	9. Day 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave indulges his suspicions. Klaus becomes complacent, but maybe too soon.

He was taken off the case. Klaus’s case. Dave was taken off of Klaus’s case.

Arst had some guy named Chris to tell Dave too. He wouldn’t even tell him himself. Part of Dave was glad because he could barely hide his disappointment. Maybe disappointed was an understatement- Dave was uprooted on the spot. It felt like his life had wrapped itself around these past few days. It was all he could think about… dream about… have insane headaches about.

And Dave had every right to remain on this project. This was about the same people who supposedly killed his sister after all. Why on God’s green Earth would Arst take Dave off unless he was catching on? Could he see that Dave was doubting himself? Trusting Klaus too much? Protecting him too much?

Dave found the whole thing dubious. And how to explain Arst’s sudden cold nature towards Katz too? He had always had a soft spot for Dave- or at least that’s what he made him think. This was completely off brand- a total 180 twist.

And so, when Dave was informed that he would be moved to a new location for a new mission, he decided that it was time to go all-or-nothing. Does he blindly follow, or does he break from the mold he’s been trying so hard to fit himself into?

He didn’t fully know what he wanted to do until he waltzed through the Commission’s doors, ready to face a full day of his designated “day-job”. The thing about the Commission’s assassins was that they actually were hardly in the field. Most of the time, he was shoveling through bureaucratic shit at their main headquarters.

Today was no exception…

Well, except for Dave’s attitude.

As soon as he walked in, he got the strangest feeling. Like he was unwelcome- unfitting. He felt as though the path he so clearly set for himself, a life with the Commission where you could stay on top as long as you were okay being a lapdog, was not so clear anymore.

By lunch, Dave felt as though his curiosity was running to rampant to contain. He had made up his mind hours ago- he just wasn’t quite ready to admit it at first.

He would never be walking through the Commission’s doors again after today- not after what he had planned.

Just as previously explained, there was an archive of forgotten, abandoned timelines in the basement of the facility. No one was allowed to go there- no one but the authorized personel, obviously. But Dave had an in- his buddy Uriel. Uriel was another one of Dave’s… “escapades” in recent past, but they never progressed to anything more than a couple visit to each other’s houses late at night. Still, David considered Uriel a good friend, and after Dave did some “privatee-eye” work regarding Uriel’s daughter’s boyfriend, the dude owed him.

Best part? Uriel worked in the forgotten timeline’s archives.

Dave had finally decided to cash in that “i-owe-you” today, and it would lose him his job. He was sure of it. But it was either that, or descending into complete insanity.

The FTA… Forgotten Timeline Archives… was much like the infinite switchboard, but regarding all the timelines that were abandoned or changed.

“Just… don’t let anyone see you… kay? And if anyone asks-“

“I don’t even know you.” Dave repeated back to his friend, getting a curt but uneasy nod back from Uriel.

“Good luck, Dave.”

And suddenly, Dave was left alone with nothing but the hum of the extensive machine and the blue light of the six screens before him.

His hands trembled as they hovered over the keyboard. He’s been trained how to use it in case of an emergency, but Dave just simply wasn’t ready for the truth. He weighed his options in his mind.

If he couldn’t find anything regarding Klaus’s wild bullshit- then that just meant Dave was too weak to thwart his coercion and he failed his people- the people who took him in and gave him a purpose when Dave was lost.

If Dave _did_ find evidence that Klaus was telling the truth…

Then he did something awful. He was _so_ wrong in everything he had built his life on in the past couple years.

Dave gritted his teeth tightly and then moved to the search engine, typing in:

D A V I D M I C H A E L K A T Z

The archives were smart enough to search by an era, an event, a business, et cetera… He figured his own name should be enough.

And it was- A few abandoned timelines popped up as it turned out. It was strange- Dave being faced with a list of folders that contained endless information on timelines he had left behind without even knowing. Not only that, but there were folders dated from _future_ dates- timelines that would never happen.

But, if Dave learned one thing from his Commission safety manual, it was that no one should _ever_ know their own future- even if they were abandoned versions of it.

So, Dave found the most salient option- a folder labeled,

“1963-1969_Enrollment_Version002_DISCARD”

With a hesitant finger, he clicked.

A plethora… No, an explosion… A detonation of media blasted all six screens that flashed before Dave’s eyes, all filled with small windows of videos. 

**"Yeah, shit's crazy I know."**

**It was a simple enough phrase, but it seemed to hit some kind of cord within Klaus.**

**"Yeah." Was all he could manage to gratefully choke out.**

**"You'll adjust."**

**He wasn't saying much, but it was more than enough. Besides, his eyes did most of the communication anyway.**

**"I'm Dave."**

**"Klaus."**

* * *

**Dave only realized then that Klaus cradled an acoustic guitar on his lap, the dull gloss flickering against the firelight and his long fingers impatiently tapping on the neck.**

**"Where the hell did you find that in the middle of the jungle?"**

**"One of the Gooks had traded for it when the last troop blew through town," Teddy explained. "And Boots so brilliantly traded his last rations for it back."**

**"For** **_your_ ** **entertainment, I might add. You're welcome." Klaus shot in return, eyes down and studying the length of the strings. He lazily plucked a few, the sound too soft and delicate to fully hear over the crackle of the fire.**

**"You can't even travel with that, dude. You chose to starve for something you're gonna have to leave here, you know?" Pico added.**

**"I know."**

**"Dumbass." Dave muttered just loud enough for Klaus to hear. His head snapped up and they connected gazes. Everyone else was suddenly gone. Hell, the whole** **_world_ ** **was gone. Dave shot him a smile. Klaus returned it, breaking their gaze and pulling his focus back down to the instrument.**

**The Earth faded back in.**

**"Know any of the Fab Four?"**

**"Dictionary check." Klaus called immediately. Dave happily obliged as always.**

**"Fab Four… The Beatles."**

**"Oh, lovely! Yeah, sure."**

* * *

**He went to nearly slam Klaus against the wall, but at the last second, he artfully caught him by the hip and the back of his neck, carefully lowering him instead. Dave was handling him like he was the finest of China- like the most precious thing in the world.**

**"Woah…" Klaus giggled, his back finally easing against the cool brick. Dave hummed in a content response, running his thumb along Klaus's cheekbone.**

**"Hi." He whispered.**

**"Hello." Klaus smiled, wrapping his arms around his neck. Dave beamed at him. His lips relaxed into a more unreadable expression and he leaned in, pressing a short but sweet kiss on his lips. "This isn't real." Klaus said. Dave chuckled lightly and reached up to run a hand through his hair.**

**"That'd be really unfortunate if it wasn't." He mumbled, pushing his fingers into the curls atop Klaus's head. Klaus let his head tilt back, his own hands finding their way to the nape of Dave's neck and feeling his hairline, his skin, his goosebumps…**

* * *

**Klaus persisted in trying to get his full attention. He poked at his ribs, gripped his shoulders and shook him, and eventually, resorted to climbing back up on his body, practically forcing Dave to give him the full attention** _**he** _ **deserved.**

**"Okay, okay…" Dave laughed, giving up on the task he had started before Klaus came in like a menace. "What?"**

**At this point, Klaus was wrapped all around him, his legs around his waist and his arms around his neck and head, obscuring Dave's vision.**

**"Happy birthday." Klaus murmured into Dave's hair, finally unraveling himself from around his boyfriend's body. He dropped to the ground, settling for the more-traditional hug instead. He wrapped his arms around Dave's torso and buries his face in his shoulder, Dave bringing his own arms up and around his back to rub over his shirt gently.**

**"Thank you."**

**"I love you."**

**"I love you too." Dave breathed, kissing the side of Klaus's head.**

**"Hey. I have something for you."**

**And so, Klaus dragged Dave back towards their squad's tent, making him wait outside while he ran in under his bed- Klaus went in and out in a flash, returning with the flat object that was Dave's present behind his back.**

**"You couldn't wait for the sun to at least come up?"**

**"Nope."**

**"Fair enough." Dave smiled, shaking his head. Klaus rocked back and forward on his heels and toes until he held the record out in front of him.**

**"Sorry. No wrapping paper around here."**

**Dave frowned curiously at the record case, taking it gently from Klaus's hands. His eyes scanned the brand-new print on the cardboard casing, his frown deepening. Klaus smiled at him softly, admiring at the way he analyzed the writing and artwork.**

**"Klaus, how-"**

**Already anticipating the question, Klaus cut in.**

**"Do you really want to know?"**

**Dave flashed his eyes up at Klaus, a small suspicious gleam in his eye.**

**"Oh God. What'd you do?"**

**"Don't worry about it." Klaus pursed his lips and shrugged half-heartedly. Dave laughed and shook his head down at the record.**

_**Crown of Creation** _ **by** _**Jefferson Airplane** _ **.**

**"This isn't even supposed to be released until-"**

**"Tomorrow." Klaus interrupted proudly.**

**Dave stared down at the record, flipping it over and studying the list of songs. Klaus tapped his foot impatiently, knowing Dave liked his time with his records but-**

**"So, you wanna play it or just eye fuck it?"**

* * *

**"Hey, kiddo." Dave whispered, carefully raising a hand and moving at slug-pace towards Klaus's face that was still turned downwards. Klaus swallowed thickly and tried to say something, but seemed to decide against it. He just stayed silent as Dave brushed his fingertips against his temple and ever-so-lightly cupped the side of his face.**

**Klaus leaned into Dave's touch and fell forward against his chest. Dave instantly wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's body that seemed so damn small suddenly. Dave felt like he could feel every bone and muscle in his body as Klaus collapsed into him, his back quietly shaking. Dave squeezed him tightly, pressing his lips into Klaus's messy hair. He could hear Klaus's muffled sniffles below him and it broke any other bit of resolve Dave still managed to hang onto. Tears escaped down his cheeks as he continued to hold onto Klaus.**

**That's all he could really do. He held on.**

* * *

**It started with a jolt- no pain, not at first.**

**Then there was ice-cold burning. Dave knew that didn't make sense- an oxymoron, or whatever- but that's exactly what it was… like fiery icicles piercing his chest.**

**Then there was a warm heat.**

**A wetness. A buzzing.**

**And then came the pain. It was like nothing he's ever felt before, but not in magnitude per se... the adrenaline was doing strange things to him. What started as a building ache of soreness spread but only to the point where it felt as if someone had hit Dave in the chest repeatedly with an aluminum bat… and then some bees stung him as well.**

**Iron spread to the back of his tongue, the smell reaching his nostrils until it was all he knew. His eyes stung- from the taste of blood, the heat around them, or the wrenching realization, he did not know.**

**His mind shut down. All reasonable, coherent thoughts flew out the window. Sounds were drowned out. Klaus was saying things… something… What was Klaus saying?**

**"Dave?"**

**As the liquid built at the back of his throat and the world blurred from vision, Dave felt his body being turned.**

**And oh, God… The pain was setting in with each passing millisecond somehow becoming a year in time. For a terrible moment, Dave wished he'd just pass out to escape it, but no… he couldn't do that.**

**Was he was dying?**

_**I'm dying.** _

**But he couldn't die… Not now.**

_**I'm dying.**_ _**Please, God. I can't let him down. This can't be the end. Don't let me leave him.**_

* * *

Dave could barely keep his eyes from flying wildly within their sockets, trying to take in all the visuals and audio he was being fed immediately.

It was too much. Too much for his eyes, too much for his ears, too much for his brain…

Too much for his heart.

They weren’t just simple videos being played out before Dave- they internalized within him. They became more than just audio-visual entertainment- he could _feel_ the emotions that he must’ve been feeling in those moments. He could smell the scents, feel the fabrics, taste Klaus on his lips…

And then, Dave’s head exploded.

The world went dark.

Dave went down.

* * *

The pain was immense. There were even some moments where Klaus forgot his name. He didn’t remember much about his fifth injection. Did his brain just block it out? Did he pass out?

He didn’t know. It was all just… red. Red and head-splittingly unbearable. The lights above him were blinding. The figures around him were looming- unfriendly and cold.

This was Hell, Klaus was convinced. This was absolute _Hell._

This is what he got for all the people he’s fucked over. All the times he’s messed with his siblings. All the times he’s stolen, fucked around, outrun the cops, set shit on fire, etc, etc, etc.

He begged someone to make it stop. He didn’t even know who. Dave? His family? God? Klaus didn’t give two fucks.

_Just. Make. It. Stop. PLEASE._

Klaus was ready for it to be over- whatever that meant. And lately, he’s accepted that it meant he wouldn’t make it out of this. After all, Klaus remembered the second time he was brought back from his torture suite. His eyes turned up to the chap above him, a handsome, dark young man with steely eyes.

“ _Hey… Buddy. Hey, uh… So, what happened to the others with this treatment process shit?”_

_Hot-ass young-Denzel-Washington man gave Klaus a look that said, ‘You’re screwed’ and left him alone._

So, based on that interaction and how everything was going, Klaus knew this was the end of the line. Now that he accepted it, he just wished it would come sooner.

After his fifth injection, Klaus was quite literally _carried_ back to his cot. Deposited unceremoniously, Klaus was left in a crumpled heap with nothing else to do but think of how he hurt. He had couldn’t do anything but wallow in it, unmoving and eyes rolled back. He couldn’t shift. He couldn’t speak without sobbing and sobbing would surely kill him.

Breathing.

That’s all he could do.

_Breathe in._

_Breathe out._

_Breathe in._

_Breathe out._

_Choke a bit._

_Briefly pass out from excrutiating pain._

_Breathe in._

_Breathe out._

_It’ll be over soon. It will. It’ll be over soon, Klausy. It’ll be over._

But because the universe loved to rub salt in Klaus’s wounds, Arst burst in at that moment. He was so out of it that he barely recognized his face as it loomed over him with that snarky smirk- he looked more like the laughing face of a demon that the lanky, slightly geeky but dominating doctor. Klaus winced away… or did he? Klaus was at the point where he was probably _thinking_ he made movements but his body wasn’t strong enough to follow suit.

But something was wrong.

Arst came in with a few other dark figures and the door shut soundly behind them. But then, moments later (it was hard for Klaus to recognize time when he was blinded by such agony) the door burst open once more.

Klaus couldn’t see the specific feature of his face, but he didn’t need to. He’d know his silhouette anywhere.

Dave.

Dave with a handgun.

Dave…

Shooting Arst straight through the face.

Klaus was sure he was hallucinating. Surely it was a fever dream. But he swore to that lil’ sassafrass girl on the bike- David Michael Katz just shot the good Doc in the face.

_What the fucking hell._

But if that figure with the gun _was_ Dave, he was immediately apprehended and dragged away. Klaus tried his best to force his eyelids open to watch the rest of the outcome, but his eyelids weighed a few tons. Someone was whisking around his brain and making him inexplicable nauseous in the worst possible way.

So, even though Klaus’s chest tightened with immense fear for David’s safety, Four’s consciousness fell victim to his injuries.

However… That wasn’t before he heard one last familiar, ground-shaking blast. An explosion so internally powerful that Klaus felt his bones melt for a split second.

He knew this feeling.

His eyes recognized the blue light.

His brain recognized the low-pitched whine.

His skin remembered the sudden prickly chill that always accompanied _one_ phenomenon and _one_ phenomenon only.

Vanya was here.

The cavalry was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: Klaus isn't alone anymore. Dave wakes up in a strange place.


	10. The Final Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The siblings want their Number 4 back. Number 4 wants his slightly-homicidal boyfriend back. Dave has to face the reality of the situation.

Every step Luther took sent jolts of searing pain through Klaus’s spine, but believe it or not, that was still a step up from slowly dying alone in some cell moments before his family arrived, guns blazing. Thank God they had a generously built bro to do the heavy lifting because Klaus could barely lift his pinky finger let alone move his legs right now.

He would admit- it felt good that someone had his back. It was different from the last time Klaus was kidnapped. Then again, maybe he just didn’t give the fam enough of a chance to give a shit with the whole Hazel and Cha-Cha conundrum. Maybe he judged his siblings for their apathy too soon.

Sure, they could’ve hurried the fuck up a bit, but Klaus wouldn’t complain.

“Eyes open, bud.” Luther gave Klaus a gently squeeze as they flew down the hallway that Klaus had been dragged down countless times before.

“Di- Di-“ Klaus tried to call out with all his might, his voice pathetic and feeble. Diego still heard from where he trotted behind Luther though, his voice punctured as he threw a knife down the hall at their pursuers.

“Hang in there, bro.” Diego called to him, trying to push the matter off until later, but Klaus couldn’t wait for this.

“Diego…” He moaned, shifting the best he could in Luther’s arms to glance around his tree-trunk sized arm. Diego’s dark, wild eyes connected with Klaus’s heavy hazel ones. “Dave.”

Diego’s face went cold as they rounded the corner into new territory Klaus had never seen. It looked like a recreation room with a crappy pool table and some snack machines.

“Absolutely not.” Two deadpanned. Klaus felt his heart beat faster. This _had_ to work, he couldn’t leave him there. Not with what he just saw (or what he _thought_ he saw). They took Dave. They would kill him. They’d kill Klaus’s baby right when he got him back… he _thought_.

“Please.” Klaus gasped as Luther stopped abruptly in the building's foyer. Diego had his back turned to slam the giant metal double-doors closed behind them, sealing them off from the rest of the station for only a moment. The front door was _right there_. Klaus was so close to being free from his own little personal Hell and all he wanted to do was jump right back into the flames.

He had to. He had come this far to get Dave back. He _had_ to.

“Please…” Klaus continued to beg the more he realized that this could be the end of the road, the end of _their_ road, even after all of this. “Please, Diego. Please.”

Diego looked a little terrified by the sight of Klaus begging so sincerely, but it did the trick. He rolled his eyes and then turns on his heel. With a sharp kick to the doors, Diego shoved a couple of men back and knives started flying.

He’d be fine.

Klaus let his head fall back against Luther’s chest, exhausted from the effort it took him to grovel at his brother. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to expel the dizziness from his brain as it threatened to pull him back under. And despite Luther’s protests, now that Dave was in (mostly) capable hands, Klaus let himself go.

* * *

Dave’s rest was restless.

He could hear his voice. Follow his eyes. Trace his jaw. Smell his hair. Ever so slightly feel the tiny grooves of his fingerprint as they touched their fingertips together.

Klaus was everywhere and that hurt. It hurt to remember. It hurt even more to try and forget. The past hurt. The present hurt. The future wasn’t even something in Dave’s field of vision- all he could think of was this new access to five years of life memories that Dave didn’t have one second, then all the sudden had the next.

When it first hit him in the back of his brain back at the Commission, Dave’s body just simply couldn’t handle it. He woke up on the floor of the FTA, Uriel shaking him rather roughly awake.

“Hey. Katz! Fuck. Dammit. Listen, you’ve gotta pass out somewhere else, man. You gotta get outta here.”

Dave’s head felt like someone was blasting screeching microphone feedback straight to the front of his brain. He could barely think straight when he woke up- just well enough to push past Uriel and dart through the Commission.

His legs were acting on their own accord and thank Christ for that because at least _they_ knew the amount of trouble Klaus could be in at that moment. His brain was elsewhere though- still not caught up. Because, how could he? Dave was currently trying to catch up on five years of memories on top of trying to process what he had just…

What he had just…

It didn’t _really_ hit Dave until he reached his car in the parking lot outside of the Commission’s walls. He guessed he was intending on speeding straight back to the Firehouse with no plan whatsoever, but his emotions caught up to him.

Usually, Dave was trained to be better than that- to fight them back until the job was done.

But this? This was too much.

_What. Had. He._

_Done?_

With a choked sob, Dave felt a knee give out and hit the pavement, the rest of his body following suit. His heart pounded unmercifully in his ear and a new image of Klaus was taking over Dave’s mind:

The current version of Klaus.

The beaten version of Klaus.

The tortured version of Klaus.

The version of Klaus who was pushed so far to the edge that he was giving up- he was just lying in that room, alone and ready to die.

The world was spinning out of control and it took Dave everything he had to remember how to breathe. It just felt like no air was getting into his crushed chest, a stabbing pain forcing his heart into a deep ache.

_Get your shit together. He needs you, asshole. GET. UP._

Dave gritted his teeth together, bit his lip against the awful pounding in his head, and went to push himself up.

…and vomited.

But that kicked him right into gear. Dave didn’t remember much about the drive to the firehouse, mostly because he was going so fast that his only focus was on not dying in an explosive car crash.

He didn’t much remember bursting into the facility either though. He _did_ remember his hands trembling- his whole _body_ trembling with… what? Anger? Fear? Guilt?

Surely all of the above and more. Whatever it was, he was blinded with it.

So, when Dave got his hands on a gun and burst in, shooting Arst straight through the face on pure, quick instinct, it was mostly a blur. It almost scared Dave how _sure_ he was in burying a bullet between the doc’s eyes without an ounce of remorse, but what else could he do? 

He did this. Dave had no doubt in his mind that Arst knew what he was doing all along.

Dave _slept_ with him. The guy basically had Dave in the palm of his hand.

Anyway, enter the goons who were on Dave seconds after the shot was fired. He was dragged away kicking and screaming, leaving him ultimately exasperated when they threw him into the procedural suite where they injected Klaus every day.

Dave tried everything to break down the door with only one thing on his mind-

The way Klaus looked just a moment ago- practically dead. He wasn’t dead… right?

Every time Dave slammed his shoulder into the steel door, his head exploded with pain and new memories that still flooded in at inhumane speeds. He’d never felt more insane in his whole life, but still, there was only one thing he could think.

_Get to Klaus. Get to Klaus. Get to Klaus._

When Dave was starting to think that he actually may have shoved his shoulder from its socket (it was hard to tell with so many varied, agonizing sensations bombarding his body and mind), the door burst inwards, sending Dave stumbling backward.

A man in all black stood in the threshold, his eyes quickly falling on Dave and pausing for half of a second. Dave recognized him-

Number Two.

Diego Hargreeves.

It was strange having two different impressions of Diego. He had one part of his brain remembering him and Klaus on the beach, Klaus giving the rundown on all of his siblings. He had drawn them in the sand, stick-figure forms. Diego’s stick figure was holding two smaller sticks which Klaus said were knives.

Looking at the guy now, Klaus wasn’t far off. Diego stood at a defensive stance, a knife for each hand.

And then there was the file on Diego that was kept at the Commission that Dave had practically memorized.

Hero complex.

Narcissistic.

Hot-headed.

Impulsive.

Paranoid.

Excellent fight record.

_Perfect_ aim.

Dave didn’t have much time to recall what else he had read on Diego, because before he could even open his mouth to tell him that Klaus needed help, the butt of Diego’s knife was slammed against Dave’s temple, knocking him cold into sweet, painless nothingness.

That left Dave where he was now- in a pained haze, slumped against a bed, not unlike the one they had been keeping Klaus on for five days. In fact, the room surrounding him was quite similar to Klaus’s holding suite, except somehow more terrifying. The walls were covered in these menacing spikes that jutted inwards like a high-security cage of types.

Where the _fuck_ was he?

To be honest, Dave didn’t really care much. He was having a hard time caring about anything anymore. Besides, it was poetic justice, wasn’t it? To be trapped in a place so similar to where he held Klaus captive.

He held his _boyfriend_ captive.

God, Dave’s mind was _reeling_. His mind combed over memories and instances from both this timeline and the one he left behind, all of them feeling just as real to him as the next. The person he had become with Klaus was so vastly different to the person Dave had become in this timeline and it floored him to be able to have these two personalities fighting inside of him.

It floored him that the absence of Klaus from his life turned things so sour.

He felt a part of him that was more open- more feeling- more trusting and just plain kind. That came from Klaus. That was nurtured from being in love.

And then, there was the cold distrust and enormous self-loathing that came from his time under Arst’s thumb.

Dave much preferred the other timeline, but he couldn’t just _choose_.

These two parts of him raged inside until Dave didn’t know what was up and what was down. He was aware that it sounded cheesy as hell, but Dave felt like he didn’t know who the fuck he was anymore and that was terrifying. He had such a clear line of sight (or so he thought) when entering the Commission, and now everything was uprooted and spun around.

The person he was subconsciously (and sometimes not so sub-consciously) pursuing for so long- the person who he imagined watching die a slow and painful death- was now someone he felt such unparalleled love and guilt for.

His head was having a hard time wrapping around the whole concept, to say the least, but there was not one shred of doubt in Dave’s mind about those innate feelings for Klaus. If he allowed himself, Dave even thought back to the last time he saw Klaus, _actually_ saw Klaus, like it was yesterday.

The day he was shot.

The day he died.

Dave _died_.

Comparatively, Dave didn’t care much about that.

The only thing he had to look forward to now, the only thing he kept breathing for, was finding out if Klaus was alive. If he was dead? If _Dave_ killed him…

Let’s just say that Dave’s mind was going to some dark places if that was the case. He surely would never be able to live with himself- that much was sure.

Dave didn’t even know if he could live with himself now.

The memories that continued to flood in like a rolling index of mind-archives didn’t help either. Dave was stuck in this small, dark prison with nothing to do but suppress sobs while imagining the happiest time of his life- or his past life, or whatever.

God, how did they get here?

Who knows how much time went by before the door screeched from the outside, the metal slab caving outwards and revealing the last person Dave saw before he descended into his restless brooding.

Diego stepped in, his shoulders square and his eyes narrowed. Dave could tell when he was about to be interrogated. To be fair, he had a lot of explaining to do.

Dave could tell Diego hated his guts. Why wouldn’t he?

His brother _loved_ Dave unconditionally and Dave nearly killed him.

Or definitively killed him.

Diego held the answer, but Dave couldn’t bring himself to ask, afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle the truth. He couldn’t bring himself to as much as open his mouth. Dave felt frozen in his own grief- his own guilt. He glanced up at Diego, but then resigned to hanging his head and zoning out on the floor.

He knew he probably looked defeated as hell, but once again, Dave didn’t give a shit. He was done. He fucked up everything he ever cared about.

Diego strung a long line of questions together. He pressed Dave about his loyalties- about his memories. Dave realized that there was no way of the Umbrella’s knowing that Dave did in fact remember everything about Klaus and they were more than justified in being defensive about it.

It at least made Dave feel ever-so-slightly assuaged that even though he failed Klaus, he’d have a bunch of protective siblings looking after him. He’d be alright.

_He has to be alright._

Needless to say, Diego’s words went in one ear and right out the other for Dave. He had much too much on his mind already. He’d get fleeting questions of,

“How many bases do you clowns have?”

“Is there a guy in charge? A gal in charge?”

“You know, you could really help us out here Katz. Or don’t you want to help us?”

Dave still felt like he was being lobotomized, making it hard to focus on anything, even if he _did_ want to answer Diego’s stupid inquiries… which he didn’t.

“He pulled through, by the way.” These were the first of Diego’s words that immediately registered with Dave. His eyes flickered up to see “Two’s” furrowed brows, arms crossed over his chest authoritatively. “Not sure if you cared.” Diego shot coldly, giving Dave a curt raise of his eyebrow as if prompting him to comment.

Dave didn’t need to comment though. He didn’t need Diego to know that it was the best news he may have ever heard in _both_ of his lives. He just let it sit with him, turning his eyes back down and letting his mind rake over the situation.

Klaus was alive. Dave hurt him bad, but he was alive.

While it lifted a large weight from Dave’s chest, he didn’t think it would just be a fix-all for them. No… Dave knew his time with Klaus was well over the minute he shot him… or maybe the minute he strangled him… or hit him, or injected him, or imprisoned him…

Klaus was alive, sure.

But all Dave could think about was the ways in which he wanted to die.

“Not feeling chatty?” Diego pushed, but Dave was already lost in his head, remembering how Klaus had sobbed an, “I love you” every time Dave hit him.

He felt sick.

Diego had to go. All Dave wanted was to be alone.

“Fine. I’ll be back. We’ve got time.”

As soon as Dave heard the latch on the heavy-duty door shut, he doubled over and felt his body ravaged by dry heaves, trying to expel the nothingness from his stomach. His fingers shakily grasped at the cold floor, his head exploding into white-hot pain with each fruitless heave.

It made him think of the time he had the flu during the holidays in ‘Nam and Klaus took care of him.

Everything reminded him of his prior time with Klaus. _Everything_.

God, how did everything get so goddamn FUBAR?

At some point, another one of Klaus’s siblings entered. Dave knew instantly that it was Allison, or “Number Three” as both Klaus and her file explained to him. She had much kinder eyes than Diego- a much more welcoming stance. She didn’t say much, but the few greetings she muttered weren’t hostile at all.

Plus, she brought food which Dave truly did appreciate, but he couldn’t even imagine putting sustenance into his body right now. He felt like he lost his appetite, his taste, his smell… The world lost color. His head still pounded. Memories still ran rampant.

So, the food that Allison left for him sat untouched. Besides, Dave thought that if he tried hard enough, he might be lucky enough to starve to death.

He imagined Klaus’s voice in his head,

“ _NOW who’s being dramatic?”_

The thought of Klaus being with him now built an excruciatingly large lump in Dave’s throat. The last time he heard Klaus’s voice, it was barely recognizable and unearthly feeble as he uttered,

“I can’t do this anymore.”

And this was after _days_ of repeated torture that left Klaus’s blood on Dave’s hands.

He could never face Klaus again. He couldn’t. For Dave’s sake, and for his.

With this realization, David gritted his teeth together helplessly trying to contain the bubbling pressure in his chest but like the world’s most violent dam, it broke.

Dave sobbed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: Klaus wakes up to find the tables have turned. Diego's not letting up on Dave anytime soon, despite Klaus's efforts.


	11. Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus wakes up to find he's even less alone than he thought. Diego contemplates Dave's new request.

The slight ache in the crook of his elbow and the feeling of something pricking through his skin sent Klaus back to an unpleasant place- a specifically horrid little chamber that the Antis like to call “The Procedural Suite”, AKA, the little room that might have just been the end of Klaus.

It wasn’t until Klaus forced his eyes open and saw blurry outlines of a strangely familiar place that he realized he was no longer being injected with that death-fluid in the shabby little prison he was brought to forever (five days) ago.

No, this wasn’t that. Klaus would recognize _that_ place instantly. He recognized this room pretty immediately too- the hospital wing at the Academy.

He was home.

Memories of his siblings rushing in to save him from his ultimate doom returned to Klaus like fleeting whispers of memories. He was pretty out of it when they arrived, but he _did_ remember using his last breath to beg Diego to save his precious David.

Dave… Who remembered.

Probably remembered.

Maybe remembered.

Did he remember?

Klaus felt like his whole final day at that shithole was more of a crazed fever dream than reality.

One thing was sure though- his sibbies really came through which, as much as it pained him to admit it, made Klaus feel a little fuzzy inside. He knew it was kind of asking the bare minimum of them- he would’ve _hoped_ they at least felt a little obligated to save him from certain death. Klaus shouldn’t sell them short though. Not anymore.

Not with Vanya’s sweet smile beaming down on him as soon as he cracked his eyes open. She wasn’t the only one. Mom bustled around the room, coming to Klaus’s side as soon as he regained consciousness to check his heart rate.

He was more focused on his sister though.

“Hey V, girl, heyyyyyyyy.” Klaus croaked, his voice straining to make the smallest of sounds. Still, he managed to maintain some of his signature bombastic intonation.

“Good morning, Sunshine.” Vanya grinned down at him reaching out to feel his forehead. “Someone’s looking better.”

“Define better.” Klaus groaned, trying to shift on the mattress but quickly realizing that his body was still fragile enough that one single movement of his pinky was enough to set his nerves on agonizing fire. “ _Wow_ , okay. Owie.” Klaus grunted, squeezing his eyes against the pain. He felt Vanya timidly rub his arm in attempts of comfort.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be a little while before all that stuff is flushed out of your system.” She informed him, apology clear in her voice. Klaus took a moment to appreciate that it was Vanya who he woke up to. She had the most calming presence out of all the other superfluous circus clowns.

“What… the Satan juice they were pushing into me? That stuff hit different, let me tell you.”

“Yeah.” Vanya chuckled. “The Satan juice.”

They exchanged sad grins before Vanya’s smile dropped and she shifted uncomfortably like she was about to dig into something that she didn’t know how to approach.

“So… _Dave…_ ” She offered up, practically reading Klaus’s mind. He guessed she probably didn’t need to be psychic to know Dave was the only thing Klaus could think about. He _was_ the whole reason Klaus got himself into this situation in the first place. Plus, he drunkenly rambled all about his love-baby all through tacos and his little sister-session at Allison’s barbershop in 1963.

Klaus’s face was probably enough to tell Vanya she was good to keep going.

“He’s being… _kept_ in that room in the basement. You know… The one that Dad-“

“-locked you up in, yeah. _Why_? Jesus, I-“

“Diego thought it best… well, most of us thought it best that we don’t take any chances until we know for sure we can trust him. I, uh… Klaus- does he… is he…”

Klaus sighed, mostly relieved that they got Dave out of that hellhole, but now faced with this frustrating uncertainty of whether or not he had any part of _his_ Dave back.

“I _think_ so.”

“Yeah… he won’t say anything, so it’s been hard to tell. Won’t eat. Won’t sleep as far as I’m aware. It’s been almost twenty four hours.”

“Can I see him? I need to see him.” Klaus insisted, his hands shaking with anticipation already. The thought of their eyes connected under such different situational standards; seeing _Dave’s_ eyes again for the first time; not those hardened, greyed orbs that drilled holes into everyone and protected this newly damaged-Dave from the rest of the world.

Klaus got so lost in fantasizing his reunion with Dave that he almost missed Vanya’s gentle, indirect denial.

“Mmmmmmaybe give it some time. Rest up. Don’t over-do it.”

“But-“

“Klaus… Honestly, we can’t be sure he even remembers you still. We just want to make sure it’s safe.”

“I think I can handle-“

“And Diego’s kinda spearheaded the whole… Dave thing. He doesn’t want him moved until he, uh, ‘answers some inquiries’.” Vanya mimed quotation marks to show that she was just quoting their sharp-edged brother.

“Ah. So Diego’s harassing him, as he does.” Klaus huffed. This is _exactly_ what Klaus was afraid of when thinking of bringing Dave home to everyone when Dave was still alive and well during their time in Vietnam; his siblings suddenly deciding to get “protective” and going all Rambo-style on him. And now, Diego had a reason to.

And poor, David. If he did remember, which Klaus believed he did, then he was already _mortified_ about what he’d done to Klaus. Klaus didn’t feel that way though. He didn’t feel like Dave did anything to him. He felt like time and space and the forces that be really fucked them over and handed them shit cards. Dave couldn’t be blamed.

Of course, Klaus expected a full-ass apology and maybe… no, _definitely_ … hot make-up sex. Other than that though, Klaus was already ready to forgive every little thing if it meant he could snuggle up into Dave’s lovely, warm, impressively muscular chest again.

“Don’t let him hurt him.” Klaus hurriedly shot at Vanya, knowing Diego had a tendency to lose control when it came to his temper and interrogations. “As soon as I can walk, I’m going down there.”

“I’ll try my best.” Vanya offered unconvincingly because, of course, Diego’s interrogation was probably more of a warpath against Klaus’s boyfriend who hurt Klaus badly- not so much about the information as Diego would have everyone believe.

To be fair, it probably was also that.

“Shit. This sucks.” Klaus sighed, his head sinking back into his pillow just as the hospital wing’s doors caved inwards violently.

“Told you.” Allison hit Luther on the arm as they entered briskly, disgustingly sweet smiles on their faces. Klaus gave them the tiniest wave he’s ever delivered, even that sending aches up and down his arm and spine.

“Join the party. Join the party.” He welcomed them in, wincing as Allison did exactly as Vanya had, holding her hand to Klaus’s forehead.

“You feel a lot better. Look it too.” Allison said, getting all up into Klaus’s space unapologetically.

“Ow. Ow. Careful.” He whined.

_FLASH._

Five was added to the equation. He gave Klaus a narrowed-eye gaze before grabbing his charts from the bedside, flipping through.

“Blood pressure down. Temperature down. Fluids replenished. System still fighting the antibodies but overall, looks good.” He muttered analytically, his eyes scanning Mom’s handwriting.

“Yeah, missed you too, buddy.” Klaus snorted (which hurt a _lot,_ by the way).

The siblings all talked over each other to get Klaus caught up on what he had missed the last couple of days. Turns out Klaus _did_ know where they were held up all the time- they never left the Academy.

“You know that invisible sparrow guy?” Luther asked.

“Kevin.” Allison corrected. It seemed like the two groups had been trying to get along a bit better as of late if Allie was making a point to correct Luther.

“He casts these magical force-fields around things.”

Klaus made a face and Five elaborated.

“Cloaking. Makes it seem like no one’s home. Not really a big deal.” Five muttered, frowning at the slight amazement in Luther’s voice.

Ah, Klaus missed his combative, insecure family.

Pretty quickly though, the room started to go quiet and Klaus would usually fill that silence with quips and rambles, but he was exhausted and everyone was kind of just… staring at him. He wasn’t used to this kind of attention. Maybe he should be kidnapped and tortured more often. Third times the charm, you know?

But this wasn’t the attention Klaus really wanted- they all looked as if they had something to say and it didn’t look _good_. Klaus’s mind instantly went to Dave.

_Oh God… Where’s Diego and what did he do?_

“Hey…” Allison started a sentence that was obviously about to be a loaded one.

“What? _What?_ ” Klaus insisted, looking at his siblings eagerly.

“It wasn’t easy to find you.” Five cut in, his brows furrowed and his arms crossed over his chest.

Klaus blinked.

He knew he was going to be berated for straying off his mission with Diego at _some_ point. He just thought it’d be from Diego himself. Besides, the mission was covertly mutinous and reckless already in Five’s eyes. Doesn’t a double negative make a positive?

“What Five is _trying_ to say…” Allison waved her hand dismissively at the little guy. “… is that we were really freaked out for a while.”

Klaus sighed and looked down. He was always throwing wrenches in the overall family plan. He was always the burden. This wasn’t new to him.

“Yeah, well… I know you won’t believe me but I couldn’t help it. Dave’s just worth it.”

“I’m just saying that before you go off and risk everything, just… it’d be nice if you remembered you have other people that would be super, goddamn crushed if you died.” Allison’s voice wasn’t angry. It wasn’t accusatory or intended to make jabs at Klaus- to condescend him. Klaus misread the situation.

They were trying (and kind of failing) to say they cared; to say they were scared; to tell Klaus that he _was_ valuable to their family of freaks.

And that was… weird. Nice, but… weird. Klaus didn’t know what to do. In fact, he felt pretty uncomfortable. He could tell everyone else did and expected them to fit in an extra jab or snide remark at Klaus, but they didn’t. They just looked at him, no one denying Allison’s words.

“Okay… Okay, sorry.” Klaus nodded, feeling a quip coming on but deciding that now was the time to show he was sincere. And he was. Six days ago, he _did_ care less about putting himself into danger due to the fact that he felt so unimportant as an Umbrella Academy member. When he chased Dave and ended up nearly dead, he did so without a second thought to his siblings or what they’d think or how they’d handle that.

And now, he saw that it was shitty of him. They were all trying to be better and closer and more supportive and he shut them out like he had learned to do so many times in the past.

The tension broke and Klaus took a deep relieving breath, his family insecurities and the weight of the awkwardly sweet conversation lifted from his chest.

“Say, anyone got some morphine?”

“Noooo.” “Nuh-uh.”

“Nice try, Klaus.” “You wish.”

* * *

Showing his face for the fourth time in two days, Diego strolled back into Dave’s little holding cell. The man’s eyes fell upon Dave’s uneaten food before he cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest.

Two days later, Dave still hadn’t said a word. That didn’t stop Diego from trying though. This fourth line of questioning yielded a shock for Number Two it would seem though. He almost recoiled when Dave interrupted him mid-sentence.

“You won’t talk to me. I won’t let you out until you do. What else do you suppose I’m supposed to do with y-“

“You have to kill me.”

Diego blinked blankly at Dave’s sudden, forceful statement. Dave stood his ground (or “sat” his ground from the edge of the bed), turning up his eyes to stare straight into Diego’s, letting him know that he was 200% serious.

When Diego didn’t answer, Dave hurried to explain what he’d been formulating in his mind ever since waking up in this mystery box.

“I’m not going to tell you shit, so what use am I? No more than a liability. How do you know this wasn’t part of the plan? C’mon, I know this isn’t your first rodeo. You’re smart enough to see how this has to go.”

“Seems a little-“

“How do you even know you _really_ have the upper hand here? You really think you’ve got everything controlled under the tip of those ridiculous toys you hide behind, huh?” Dave continued to press more aggressively, giving a short nod to the knife that Diego seemed to _always_ be toying with between his fingers. Diego’s eye twitched.

Dave was getting to him.

“And you’re just fine and dandy with this?” Diego asked, cocking his head at Dave suspiciously. Dave swallowed thickly and looked down at the bedsheets, trying to find the most effective way to approach this.

“I’d rather die than give away any information.”

_(I’d rather die than have to face what I’ve done)_

“I don’t think my brother would be too happy about me killing his favorite plaything.”

“You can never tell him it was you.” Dave blurted out in response before he could note that Diego was bringing up Klaus just to illicit a reaction out of him. Dave was so quick to jump in because he had already thought about this. He knew Diego was his best chance at getting what he felt he deserved, but he also didn’t want to ruin one of Klaus’s important relationships with his brother in the process (as much as he wasn’t a fan of Diego).

But this quick interjection was enough to make Diego suspicious of Dave’s motive- he could tell by the flicker in his eyes, so Dave quickly forced stinging words through his dry throat.

“Besides, I don’t care.”

_Real convincing, Katz._

“I don’t give a shit about… your brother.”

Fuck. Dave couldn’t even bring himself to string together the sentence _‘I don’t give a shit about Klaus’._ He couldn’t bare to use his name in a sentiment like that. God, Dave forgot how terrifying it was to be so goddamn in love. He was one of the most prestigiously awarded assassins at the Commission currently. Highly trained, well experienced, known for being able to shove all his emotions under a rug to get the job done.

And now, the mere thought of Klaus’s name made Dave a blundering idiot. It didn’t matter if Dave believed it, though. Did Diego?

No. It didn’t seem so. Dave watched as the man’s face smoothed out and he gained the smallest of smirks. He leaned in close to Dave and it took everything for Katz not to reel back in surprise. Diego’s growing smirk was only a few inches from Dave’s face when the one known as “Number Two” seemed to realize he had it all figured out.

“I won’t help you get an easy out. I don’t care if the guilt eats you alive. You can face what you’ve done to my brother like a man.”

And then, as quickly as he was there right in front of Dave, Diego was standing back up. He turned and went for the door, leaving Dave nearly speechless.

_Nearly._

See, if that was Dave’s main motive, then maybe he would’ve accepted defeat- Diego would be no help in Dave’s idea of a “fix”. It wasn’t _just_ because of Dave’s guilt though.

He didn’t want to hurt Klaus again. So much had happened that Dave knew his existence alone would be hard for Klaus to cope with. He had the face of someone he once loved, but it was also the face of someone who nearly tortured him to death.

Besides, Dave was different now. He was colder. He was more detached. He didn’t trust himself not to hurt Klaus again. It was too dangerous and he wouldn’t risk it- not again.

So, Dave tried one more angle before Diego disappeared from his little holding chamber.

“The Commission has you pegged.”

Diego stopped at the threshold but didn’t yet turn around.

“Undying loyalty to this grandiose _lie_ we call a hero-complex. But when it comes down to it,”

Diego’s shoulders tensed.

“, you’re too soft to truly get the job done. Why do you think they never scouted you? With your powers. With your profile. You just don’t have what it takes to-“

Diego whipped around and had his hand raised before Dave could even finish. Within a fraction of that second, Dave could see the gleam of a knife in Diego’s hand.

He did it. This is where he died.

And then, just as fast as he pulled it out, Diego’s hand expertly twisted the knife backward and socked Dave in the left eye, sending him to the floor in a crumpled heap. His cheek throbbed and his head exploded in pain.

Say what he will about the dude, Diego packed a good punch.

Dave heard Two’s low voice by his ear one more.

“Nice try. I’m even impressed.”

And then, the sound of the ridiculously secure door opening and closing. Dave was alone again; exposed for his true intentions, plans failing, and eye throbbing. And even more so, Dave wasn’t even aware yet that he’d have to face his newest, greatest fear in less than three hours.

He would have to face Klaus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: Diego visits Klaus for the first time as Four starts getting antsy. With a little help from a super-sibling, Dave gets to see the Academy for the first time... and also Klaus.


End file.
